100 Years of Loving You
by Nymphiase
Summary: Akashi and Kuroko are bound by fate in which they are reincarnated to find each other through their strong love. As the years go by, both of them never wondered what might happen after their 100 lives together.
1. Life 1

"Did you know, Akashi-kun, if you're reincarnated 100 times and you always meet the same loved one, then it is true love?"

A faint beeping resonated through the room, always keeping the same tempo as Kuroko talked. He lay back on a bed, the sanitary white room making his sky blue hair really noticeable. Akashi sat in a chair beside the bed and smiled,

"Actually I never knew that. I don't know if I believe in reincarnation either."

The blue haired boy closed his eyes and sighed, "That's a shame. Only the people who believe get a chance to have those 100 years of reincarnation."

Sunlight washed through the windows, a light breeze entering the room every few seconds. Kuroko's been sick for the last few months and he was hospitalized. Akashi and Kuroko were already living together and the redhead stopped working to keep his loved one company. Unfortunately, the blue haired boy wasn't showing any signs of recovery from his illness.

"Akashi-kun?"

"Yes, Tetsuya?"

Kuroko pulled the redhead down by wrapping his arms around his neck and gently kissed him. Akashi immediately deepened the kiss by tilting Kuroko's chin towards him. The blue haired boy let out a stifled moan and then Akashi pulled away. Kuroko continued to talk,

"Being with you was everything I could've asked for. You were always so kind to me and you cared for me. Except now, I believe that it is time to let go and say goodbye. You need to move on with your life; you put a pause on it because of me and I can't accept that."

"Tetsuya…What are you saying?" Akashi asked, feeling slightly confused.

The blue haired boy ignored his question and said, "When I am reborn, I will surely meet you again. When I do meet you, I'm sure I will fall in love with you again. No matter how many times it takes, no matter how many times I am reborn, I will always be yours. So please, believe in me and call my name when you see me so that I remember you and I'll make sure to call your name so that you remember me."

"Tetsuya, you're not going to die." Akashi said while shaking his head no. Kuroko grabbed the redhead's hands and squeezed them tightly.

"Please…Seijuro…Do this for me. What I am asking is really selfish and I know that. I don't want to leave you either, but we won't be leaving each other if we meet again, right?"

The redhead eventually gave in and then said, "How about…we somehow mark ourselves to show how many lives we've gone through?"

Kuroko tilted his head to the side, obviously confused, "Like getting a tattoo?" He asked.

Akashi nodded, "Exactly. We'll go now and get a tattoo on our back that marks our lives. So it's like a tally chart."

The blue haired boy nodded his head frantically; happiness glowing from his face. Then his expression suddenly fell from happiness to sadness, "I don't think the hospital is going to let me go."

"You're right…" Akashi muttered, "Well then, I'll bring them here. I'll be back in a few minutes, love."

Just as promised, the two of them got a tally mark on their backs. The first tally mark was on their left shoulder blade and the next one would fit right beside it. A few weeks after that, Kuroko passed away.

Both of them didn't know whether the tattoo idea would work, but they prayed for it to work anyway.

Every year that passed without Kuroko, Akashi began to believe in reincarnation. His desire to see his lover made him believe and 18 years later, Akashi passed away with a small smile; and when he breathed his last breathe, he muttered,

"I'll see you soon, Tetsuya."

**Author's Note:**

**And so I've started a new AkaKuro fanfiction. I'll probably actually write 100 chapters but don't expect anything long and beautiful. They'll be short and beautiful ;) **

**Most of the chapters will probably be structured like this: Who they are (age, occupation, status, etc.), how they meet, what triggers the memories, the tattoo, their deaths and a bit of light towards the next life. Or maybe a few problems on the way. You know…I'll probably toss something in there.**

**Now then, I need 99 more ideas.**

**See you in the next chapter if you plan on following me through their 100 painful but loving lives.**


	2. Life 2

The daycare wasn't a popular place for children to go, but it had a promising aura of love. In the daycare, the caretaker was a blue haired boy named Kuroko who was only 23 years old. He took care of 6 children; Kagmai, Aomine, Murasakibara, Midorima, Kise and Akashi, who wereall 5 years old. Kuroko took care of them with his friends, Momoi Satsuki and Aida Riko. Though his friends helped, it was mainly Kuroko who all of the children loved to be around. Every day, they wold run over, tug at Kuroko's legs and beg him to read them their favourite story.

It was called, "Born to Love You". The small picture book followed the lives of a young couple who were separated by their parents because of their statuses. Eventually, it lead the couple to their unfortunate deaths. Kuroko recited the ending, "However, in the end the princess and the farmer were reborn into people of the same status. So they were able to love again without their parents separating them."

The blue haired boy closed the picture book and sighed at the children sleeping on his lap. All except Akashi who seemed to be thinking really hard about something.

"Sei-chan, is something wrong?" Kuroko asked gently while putting the book aside. Akashi hugged the blue haired boy tightly and asked,

"Kuroko-sensei, do you believe in reincarnation?"

The blue haired boy chuckled and wrapped his arms around the redhead, "I do, Sei-chan. Did you know that if you're reborn 100 times and you fall in love with the same person 100 times, then it's true love?"

Crimson eyes looked up into Kuroko's blue ones, "Does Kuroko-sensei love me? Cause I love you!"

"Of course I love you, Sei-chan. Now is the time to nap though, not discuss reincarnation."

Akashi curled up in Kuroko's embrace and closed his eyes. All of the sudden, the blue haired boy felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. He did his best to ignore it and he held the small redhead in his arms.

When Kuroko opened his eyes, he saw a worried expression staring down at him.

"Kuroko-sensei? Kuroko-sensei?!"

In the back of his mind, the blue haired boy heard another voice. This voice was much deeper and it had a nice rich, soft tone that called out, "Tetsuya… Tetsuya, remember me."

A girl with pink hair appeared in his field of view. She shook Kuroko lightly by the shoulders, "Tetsu-kun?! What's wrong?!"

"Eh?" The blue haired boy said, snapping back to reality. He propped himself on his elbows and saw Akashi staring up at him, tears filling his eyes. The pink haired girl put a hand against Kuroko's forehead.

"You have a really bad fever that just popped out from nowhere. Sei-chan was really worried about you. He said you were crying in your sleep."

"Ah…" Kuroko said while wiping the sweat from his brow, "Is that so?"

The little redhead gripped the blue haired boy's hand protectively as if Akashi was going to guard Kuroko from something. The blue haired boy gave a small laugh, "Sei-chan, it's kay. I'm fine, see?"

Kuroko took the redhead's small hand and brought it up to his face. Akashi felt his caretaker's warmth under his fingertips and then smiled back, feeling relieved. Even though Kuroko wore a smiled on his face, he still douln't shake the feeling he had.

_Who was calling out my name…? _He wondered to himself. The blue haired boy wasn't able to recognize the voice.

Once the children went home, Kuroko lay down on his bed and thought hard about who he had heard. That night in his dream, he heard the same voice calling out to him.

"Tetsuya… Don't you remember me?"

But this time, he saw a blurry silhouette of a person standing in front of him. He saw a boy with red hair, he was wearing a white jersey that said, "Teiko" on it. The boy whispered again, "Remember me." And then he was gone.

The next morning, the blue haired boy looked up the word "Teiko" on the internet. He found out that it was a school and once he found the school address, he immediately took a drive to the school after classes were over. He slowly browsed the hallways, hoping to find something that would give any hints about the person in his dream. As he was walking down the hallways, he saw a display case that said, "Athletic Achievements and Clubs."

Kuroko quickly skimmed over the photos and then saw a boy with blue haired who looked exactly like himself. He stared at the date and noticed it was from about 40 years ago. Kuroko felt a headache at the back of his head as he observed the picture more closely. That's when he saw a redhead's arm wrapped around the blue haired boy's waist, smiling slightly in the photo.

The blue haired boy redhead the plaque that said, "Basketball Club: Aomine Daiki, Kise Ryouta, Midorima Shintaro, Murasakibara Atsushi, Akashi Seijuro and Kuroko Tetsuya."

Kuroko felt like he couldn't breathe.

_Akashi was the one who was calling out to me._

Kuroko leaned against the wall, he heard something ringing in his head.

_Akashi and I were on the same basketball team._

The blue haired boy slowly shriveled to the ground.

_We were known as the Generation of Miracles._

Kuroko's hands clutched the side of his head, trying to escape from the pain.

_Akashi and I were dating…We were living together. I got sick. I was hospitalized. I talked about reincarnation. We got matching tattoos. Then…I died…_

The blue haired boy gasped for air as he thought hard about what was happening. He felt for the tattoo on his back which he had always believed was a birth mark. Then his eyes suddenly widened in shock,

_I'm babysitting the great emperor… Oh gosh, Akashi-kun wouldn't like that at all…_

Kuroko slowly picked himself up from the ground and laughed slightly. He muttered to himself, "I died before Akashi-kun, which is why I'm older…My god, this is so wrong. I'm in love with a 5 year old."

The blue haired boy returned to the daycare and took care of the children who were his former team mates. He tried his best to act normal, but he couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous his team mates looked as children. When Kuroko was helping Akashi change, he noticed the tally mark on his back.

"Sei-chan, when did you get this?" Kuroko asked, testing out Akashi's memory. The redhead smirked and said,

"It's my battle scar from when I valiantly fought against my sister for a cookie. Actually…I think I've had it ever since I was born."

The blue haired boy took off his own shirt and turned to show Akashi his own tally mark, "It's weird because I have one just like it."

The redhead's face lit up with happiness, "Kuroko-sensei! That's too cool! It's fate! We have to get another one right beside it!"

Kuroko tried not to push the limits of the mental state of a 5 year old but he asked, "Sure, we can do that. But why?"

Akashi frowned and thought about it, "Why, indeed. Something tells me that we have to!"

_So the promise we made passes through lives. The want to be together is still there._ Kuroko thought to himself.

The next day, Akashi defied his parents' orders and got a tattoo right beside the first one. Kuroko did the same. Though only one remembered everything, they both seemed happy. As the days passed, Akashi and Kuroko grew closer and closer. Their relationship as caretaker and student turned into best friends. Then their relationship as best friends turned into an innocent love. Akashi would give Kuroko little kisses on the cheek when he arrived at the daycare and when he left while Kuroko would give Akashi kisses on the forehead when he did something right.

When the daycare went on a field trip to the city, Kuroko held Akashi's hand tightly, not wanting to lose him in the crowd. Momoi and Riko took care of the other children and they all walked down the street together.

The redhead's hand slipped from Kuroko's grasp and Akashi was pushed onto the road by the mounds of people. The blue haired boy's eyes were filled with horror as he saw a large truck approaching Akashi. Kuroko ran out into the road and embraced Akashi. Before they were hit, the blue haired boy let his tears stream down his face, not wanting to lose the redhead. Who knew how long it would take for them to meet again?

Right before they died, Akashi's eyes widened in recognition and he whispered in his caretaker's ear,

"I remember."


	3. Life 3

Akashi was a university student who was good at everything so he never took his classes seriously or cared about what was going on. The redhead never made friends or socialized with people who were below him. Not until he met one of his classmates who caught his eye. The boy had sky blue hair and eyes that were just as bright. He was quiet and reserved; didn't seem to talk to anyone. The boy looked observant and smart, as if he knew what he was doing most of the time, unlike every other student. Akashi quickly took a liking to the boy and wanted to get closer. He didn't know why, but he did know that there was some sort of pull towards him, as if he was someone familiar. Later, the redhead found out that his name was Kuroko Tetsuya and that this Kuroko Tetsuya was also glancing at Akashi from time to time. The redhead approached Kuroko and said,

"You know, if you stare so hard I'll start to think I'm on your hit and run list."

The blue haired boy blushed slightly and then said, "I'm sorry for staring, I was just wondering who you were."

"Akashi Seijuro." The redhead introduced himself. Kuroko smiled and absentmindedly said the redhead's first name to himself,

"Seijuro…" The blue haired boy's soft voice made Akashi flinch as a wave of sadness washed over him. Kuroko suddenly noticed and said, "I'm sorry for calling you by your first name, it was just so familiar I had to try. So Akashi-kun, want to go somewhere after class?"

The redhead nodded. The two of them exchanged phone numbers and then parted.

After classes, Akashi found Kuroko in the library reading a book while waiting for him.

"What are you reading?" The redhead asked.

The blue haired boy continued to read and said, "It's a book about reincarnation. It states multiple rules like: both people must believe in reincarnation to be connected by fate or if one takes their own life to be with the other then the connection is broken. It's pretty interesting, if you believe in that kind of stuff."

Akashi smiled warmly at Kuroko, "Actually, I do believe in reincarnation."

"Same." The blue haired boy responded with a monotone voice. The redhead didn't understand how Kuroko's mind worked. It was as if, his thoughts and actions were unreadable.

"So…" Akashi started. The blue haired boy stood up, grabbed Akashi's hand and dragged him off somewhere else. The redhead followed along silently, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Kuroko was someone familiar. Akashi pulled the blue haired boy towards him hard. Kuroko fell back from the sudden movement, straight into Akashi's arms.

"Akashi-kun…what are you doing?" The blue haired boy asked, while standing in an awkward back hug. The redhead's arms were tightly wrapped around Kuroko,

"I can't shake this feeling. We haven't met before, right?" He asked.

"No, I don't believe we have. Can you let go of me now? Someone might walk by and see us." Kuroko struggled against Akashi's hold against him. But the redhead was stronger. He turned Kuroko around so that the blue haired boy was facing him. Kuroko avoided Akashi's gaze by staring at his shoulder. The redhead thought about what to do with the blue haired boy.

"Kiss me." Akashi said.

The blue haired boy was surprised, he knew there was no 'but' or 'if' in this discussion. Akashi was giving him a direct order.

_It's just a kiss, it doesn't mean anything…_ Kuroko thought to himself as he slowly tried to face Akashi. When their eyes met, the blue haired boy instantly turned away, feeling embarrassed. The redhead let out a small laugh at how adorable Kuroko was.

The blue haired boy gripped Akashi's shirt tightly, closed his eyes and leaned up, hoping that Akashi would do the rest. The redhead understood the gesture and guided their lips together. Akashi tilted Kuroko's chin for better access and the moment their lips touched, their memories were triggered.

The blue haired boy's eyes widened as he saw the memories of his first life flash across his mind. The redhead melded their lips together, not wanting to break apart He had a crease on his forehead, as if he was experiencing a lot of pain. Kuroko lightly pushed Akashi away and immediately tried to take care of him.

"Seijuro, are you alright? Do you have a headache?"

The redhead had his eyes shut tightly and winced, "I'll be fine. I just… there's too many memories rushing back to me at the same time."

Kuroko brushed his fingertips over Akashi's cheek and then fiddled with his red hair. The blue haired boy smiled; feeling glad that they had found each other again. Once Akashi's headache passed, the two of them sat down against the wall and talked about what had happened in their lives so far.

"Hey Tetsuya…?"

"Hm?"

"Now that I think about it, you took care of me in our previous life and you treated me like a little baby." Akashi said with a stern voice, feeling offended that he had been looked down upon, Kuroko felt a shiver run up his spine and he quickly apologized,

"I'm sorry, Seijuro. I will never belittle the great emperor ever again."

The redhead smiled and motioned for Kuroko to move closer. Both of them weren't scared of what would happen next. As long as they were together, they were happy. Kuroko was safely nestled in Akashi's lap and they both had their arms wrapped around each other tightly. The blue haired boy cried softly and told Akashi how much he had missed him. The redhead brushed Kuroko's hair and whispered that he had missed him too.

Afterwards, when they sat in silence, Kuroko asked, "What do you think happens when the 100 years are up?"

Akashi shrugged, "I want to know that too. If we die on our 100th life, do we never meet again? Or does the reincarnation get cut off? That book from the library might have something."

During their university years, Kuroko immediately moved in with Akashi and they started dating. The couple went to get their third tally mark and they tried to do a lot of research on reincarnation. Unfortunately, they never found anything about what would happen after 100 years passed.

Years passed and Akashi and Kuroko were still together. The redhead worked, while Kuroko continued his non-stop research about reincarnation for his next life. When Kuroko was working, he found a horrifying piece of information.

"Seijuro! Come here!" He yelled in the house. The redhead came running at a rapid pace and asked,

"What's wrong?"

"I just realized… that we might go a whole life without meeting each other. If our memories are never triggered, then we won't know of our existence and the only reason why we keep having encounters is because fate allows it." Kuroko said.

Akashi seemed confused, "So…what does that mean?"

"It means that if fate suddenly turns on us, the connection can be severed just as easily as it was made." Kuroko explained briefly.

The redhead still seemed really confused, "You're saying…we have to keep fate…happy?"

The blue haired boy sighed and took off his reading glasses, "I mean that we should find a way so that we would meet for sure."

Akashi frowned and then wrapped his arms around Kuroko, "You're digging too far into this. We don't need something to ensure our meeting; the point of this is to see if it's true love or not. If it is, then we'll meet. If it isn't, then we won't. It's as simple as that. If you start messing around with fate, it'll bite back at you."

Kuroko's tense body relaxed in Akashi's arms and he leaned against him, "I guess you're right. I'm sorry for disturbing your work."

The redhead smiled, "Well Tetsuya, for distracting me from my work, you deserve a punishment, don't you?"

Akashi held Kuroko's hand and lead him towards their bed room.

The next morning, Kuroko shut down his research on reincarnation and spent every day glued to Akashi. The couple enjoyed each day for years. Eventually, time got the best of them and Kuroko passed away. Akashi felt sad but he knew that they would meet again and he knew that he would love Kuroko even more in the next life.

A few years after that, Akashi passed away as well.


	4. Life 4

**Ahaha, I've made Akashi a hormonal teenager. I've started pulling ideas from the reviews.**

Kuroko and Akashi were incapable of keeping their love hidden, even if they were brothers. There was a three year difference between them. Kuroko was going to turn 20 and Akashi was going to turn 17. Both of them felt a strong pull towards each other and they did their best to keep their relationship a secret from their parents. But it got harder throughout the years.

One day, they got into a heated argument.

"What do you mean you want to break up?!" The redhead yelled in the empty house while staring at his older brother who was slightly shorter.

"Seijuro, you don't understand." Kuroko said with a soft voice, not wanting to see his brother angry.

"Are you trying to tell me our relationship is wrong and that you made a mistake?! So it was wrong when you kissed me? It was wrong when you touched me? Was it a mistake when you had sex with me?" Akashi asked, feeling frustrated. He felt tears burn at the back of his eyes. He didn't get why his brother was leaving him. The blue haired boy held his ground,

"Like I said, I'm doing this for you. I'm pushing you too far for myself; I'm being selfish. You don't remember anything." Kuroko said with a more quiet voice but the redhead still heard him,

"Remember what?"

The blue haired boy shook his head and started to walk away, only to have Akashi yelling after him, "Remember what?! Tell me!"

Kuroko turned around to face the redhead and kissed, "Don't be childish. You're a great emperor that sits high on his throne."

The redhead frowned at the sentence Kuroko had continuously told him throughout his years, "I know. You say that all the time. But does the emperor function without his pawns and knights? I don't think so. I need you. So please, don't leave me. Be my knight that I can use while I sit on the emperor's throne."

The blue haired boy had a sad expression on his face and he said, "An emperor isn't useless without his pawns. An emperor knows how to fight, which is why he stands tall." Kuroko then pat his little brother's head lightly and left.

The redhead's heart was crushed, he felt like he would fall apart. He knew that their relationship would be shunned upon, but he didn't get where Kuroko's words were coming from. The blue haired boy held a firm expression as he talked to Akashi which was nothing like the usual soft tone he used.

During the week, Akashi continued to try and get Kuroko to listen to him. Then the redhead noticed that his brother was packing his bags.

"Where are you going…?" Akashi asked shyly while peeking his head through the door. Kuroko zipped up a suitcase and turned to face his younger brother,

"Moving out. Well, my clothes for now."

Akashi stood at Kuroko's doorway, his hands balling up into fists, "Why…?"

"Because I took a year out of university to work and raise money. Since I got enough money, I need to catch up with my studies and build my life." Kuroko explained. Akashi scowled and then walked into his brother's room. The redhead pushed the blue haired boy onto his bed and straddled his hips. Akashi sat on top of Kuroko, who showed no emotion whatsoever and he said,

"Leave! I don't fucking care about you! I hate you."

The blue haired boy stared at his younger brother; his eyes widened when he noticed that Akashi was crying.

"I hate you…I hate you so much." The redhead whimpered hopelessly. His hands clenched Kuroko's shirt and he looked down in shame. Akashi continued, "This emperor is weak… and he can't fight for himself yet. He's just a little prince."

The blue haired boy let his fingers brush away the tears from Akashi's face and he let out a small chuckle, "A crying face really doesn't suit you, Seijuro."

"Don't laugh at me!" The redhead yelled, his face growing pink. Kuroko couldn't help but laugh again,

"I'm sorry. Now then, I have to continue packing so you'll have to get off of me."

Akashi put more of his weight down onto his brother and shook his head, "Don't leave. Stay."

"Seijuro…You're being a hormonal teenager." Kuroko pointed out.

"Am not!"

The blue haired boy grinned, "Now you're being a baby."

Akashi didn't move from Kuroko's hips and instead he said, "Let me kiss you once."

The older of the two sighed and tried to push his younger brother off, "Seijuro, you know I can't let you do that."

"Just let me. If you don't fall in love with me again then you can leave. But if you kiss me back, then you have to stay by my side." Akashi explained his little gamble. Kuroko stayed still and let the redhead do whatever.

Akashi slowly leaned down to kiss his brother, his red hair tickling Kuroko's cheeks. His hands rested on the blue haired boy's chest for support but right before their lips touched, they heard their mother call for them to eat dinner.

Akashi opened his eyes and stared at his older brother who still had his eyes closed. "Mom's calling us for dinner…" The redhead said as he got off of Kuroko.

Kuroko let out his breathe which he didn't even realize he was holding and followed his brother to the dinner table.

After dinner, their mother rubbed Kuroko's back and smiled, "Tetsuya, I can't thank you enough for helping the family. I'm sorry that it got in the way of your studies though."

Akashi was clueless as to what was happening so he asked, "What's going on?"

"Seijuro, didn't your brother tell you why he spent a year working?" Their mother asked.

The blue haired boy immediately put a finger to his lips to silence her and he quickly tried to flee the scene. Akashi reacted faster; he grabbed his brother's hand and demanded an explanation, "Why did you work for a whole year…?"

Kuroko stayed silent and pulled his hand away, then he ran to his bedroom. When the blue haired boy was gone, their mother decided to tell Akashi,

"Tetsuya found out that our family was having some financial troubles so he took a year out to raise enough money for your tuition when you go to university."

The redhead stood there stunned, he didn't know any of this. Even when they were dating, his brother had never told him what he did. Akashi went to his room and thought hard about what was going through his older brother's mind. Kuroko broke up with him but he still loved him; Akashi was sure of that but he couldn't break his brother's will. Once Kuroko's mind was set on something, he would make it happen and right now, his older brother's mind was set on leaving.

Later that night when Akashi was sure their parents were sleeping, he slowly got up and walked out into the hallway towards Kuroko's room. The redhead pushed the door open and did his best not to make a noise. He saw Kuroko's body rise and fall to the rhythm of his breathing and Akashi immediately wanted to be a part of that peace.

He crawled onto the bed and snuggled right next to Kuroko. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Akashi heard his brother's voice whisper, "What are you doing here, Seijuro?"

The redhead flinched at the cold tone he'd never heard his brother use before. Nonetheless, Akashi wasn't going to back down. He found himself once again straddling Kuroko's hips as if to keep him from escaping.

"I still have that one kiss which I didn't do." The redhead said in his defense.

The blue haired boy gave no expression, "Then kiss me and make me fall for you."

Akashi hesitated, he wondered what he would do if Kuroko didn't kiss him back. The blue haired boy said something else before Akashi made a move,

"Seijuro, did you know that you tend to be more forgetful that I? I always seem to remember things first. It kills me to know that you don't remember."

"Remember what?" Akashi whispered into the darkness of Kuroko's room. The blue haired boy turned away so he wouldn't have to face his younger brother. The redhead said,

"I love you. Nothing can stop me from loving you; not even our blood. This isn't me being a hormonal teenager. I love you with all my heart and soul. I love you to the point I would die for you. I love you so much that it makes me insane. That's why I don't want you to tell me you don't want me or you don't love me because no matter what I won't be able to stop loving you." Akashi leaned down, his tears falling onto Kuroko's cheeks. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to his brother's, hoping for a reaction.

When he got no response, Akashi pulled away slowly and mumbled, "Well…that's that, I guess."

He pushed himself off of Kuroko and was going to leave but the blue haired boy grabbed Akashi's wrist and pulled him back onto the bed.

"Wha—" Akashi exclaimed, but before he could finish, hot lips were pressed onto his, eager for more warmth. Kuroko kissed the redhead hard and pulled off his shirt. Akashi tried his best to keep up and found himself pulling Kuroko's shirt off too. When their bare skin touched, both of them felt an intense heat burning between them. The blue haired boy pulled away to face his panting brother. Both of them didn't say anything. Just by tracing the outlines of their bodies was enough. The feeling of each other's skin was enough. Kuroko wrapped his arm around Akashi and let the redhead snuggle into his chest.

"Does this mean that you love me again?" Akashi whispered, feeling slightly confused as to what had just happened.

"Well…you know, I never said that I stopped loving you." Kuroko whispered back while burying his face into the redhead hair in front of him.

"You're such an ass." The redhead mumbled while holding tightly onto his brother. For the first time in days, Akashi fell asleep comfortably.

The next morning, Akashi felt the bed shift in weight and he slowly peeked a glance through his heavy eyelids. He saw Kuroko grabbing a clean shirt and pulling it over his body. That's when he saw three parallel lines on the blue haired boy's back which resembled the three parallel lines on his own back. Akashi winced and said,

"Those marks on your back…Where did you get them?"

Kuroko turned around, "Had them since I was born. You've had your marks since you were born too."

The redhead closed his eyes tightly, as if he was trying to remember something. "What do they mean?" Akashi asked.

Kuroko sat down beside the redhead and put a hand on his younger brother's forehead to comfort him from the headache that was growing fast.

"Mother thinks that we were lovers in our past lives and that the marks are the symbol of our love. Father thinks that's a full load of shit."

Akashi curled up on the bed and tried to steady his breathing. "Lovers… past life? You mean reincarnation?" He mumbled, not being able to believe anything.

The redhead tried to stand up but his vision was blacked out and he then fainted. Kuroko caught his younger brother and put him back on the bed. He lightly brushed the red hair away from Akashi's face and whispered,

"I thought you'd never remember… Thank you, Seijuro for remembering me." Then he went to get the redhead a glass of water.

When Akashi woke up, he groaned at the pain in his head. He turned onto his side and saw Kuroko silently reading.

"Tetsuya…?" The redhead whispered while reaching out for the blue haired boy. Kuroko moved closer and held Akashi's hand,

"Parents are at work. They said you could skip school today and I'm skipping work to take care of you."

"I see." The redhead whispered while looking around the room. Kuroko was terrified to ask the question on his mind but he did it anyways,

"Do…do you remember anything?"

Akashi smiled, "Everything."

The redhead got up and wrapped his arms around Kuroko, then pulled him down onto the bed.

"Tetsuya…" He started, "You belittled me again."

The blue haired boy was quick to defend himself, "You try getting your memories back when you were three. I tried everything to get your to remember! In the end, I thought that if I leave, the something might be triggered."

Afterwards, the two of them went to get their fourth tattoo. Then they remember that they were brothers in this life so they couldn't do everything they wanted. Once they got home, Kuroko convinced his parents to let Akashi move in with him. They were skeptical about the idea, but eventually they gave in and let Akashi pack his bags.

When they walked into their new home, the couple immediately headed for the bedroom to have some private time.

A few years passed and Kuroko was nearing his final year of university, while Akashi was 3 years behind him as always.

The redhead was waiting at the bus stop to go home when a suspicious looking man approached him slowly. Akashi quickly sent a text to Kuroko of his location and then checked his watch for the time. There was a woman carrying a baby beside him, waiting for the bus as well. The man approached them a bit faster now and he raised his right hand to reveal a gun. Akashi panicked and felt like running, but his legs wouldn't move. The man pointed his gun at the woman with the baby and yelled,

"You bitch! How could you marry another man?!"

Akashi finally found the courage to move and he shielded the woman when a bullet was fired. Pain spread into his back and it quickly travelled down his spine. The redhead fell to the ground and watched the woman run away with her baby. The man kicked Akashi's dying body and then ran after the woman. However, the woman was now in a store filled with people and the man became too afraid to make a move.

It was only minutes later that the police, ambulance, news reporters and Kuroko arrived. The police had to pull the blue haired boy off of Akashi's body as he desperately cried for his lover to come back. It was the first time Akashi had died before Kuroko and the blue haired boy was quick to develop depression. His body wouldn't function correctly without Akashi, nor did he want it to.

Kuroko wanted to die so badly, but he knew that doing so would only break the connection.

Two years later, the blue haired boy died from "heart break syndrome".

**Author's Note: Yeah so, anyway, if you want to request something then you can comment it and I'll most likely do it. I mean, I've got 96 chapters left. So might as well do requests. They might not be exactly the way you imagined them.**

**See you in the next chapter.**


	5. Life 5

"This is just business." Akashi mumbled to himself while looking in the mirror. He was disgusted by his own reflection, "This…is just my father's business. Not mine."

The redhead was 19 years old and his father forced him into helping out at a brothel house he managed. Akashi's father put a hand on his shoulder and said, "This is where I work, son. Warm up to it soon because you'll become the manager afterwards."

Of course, the redhead didn't like the idea. Not one bit.

So far, all the redhead had to do was check the new prostitutes who were coming into the brothel. It was a good thing not a lot of prostitutes came in; they usually had regular prostitutes who would service the clients. One day, when Akashi walked through the doors, he heard someone screaming and it wasn't exactly the pleasurable screaming from sex.

The redhead stormed through the halls towards his father's office. When he got there, his father looked up, smiled and said, "We got a new one. He's really feisty right now though. He was screaming and biting at us and already tried to escape four times. I think he'll make us a lot of money. The boy is in your room, waiting to be checked. Well…He's probably knocked out."

Akashi rushed out and walked into his small office to see the boy passed out on his bed. The redhead sighed and slowly walked towards him. The boy had light blue hair which fell across his face. His skin was pale, but it still had an ivory hue to it. His lips were a light pink and his face overall looked like an angel. Akashi picked up a clipboard and waited for the boy to wake up.

When the blue haired boy's eyes fluttered open, he slowly looked around the room. When his blue eyes met the crimson ones of Akashi, the boy instantly tried to run. The redhead grabbed the boy from around the waist and picked him up.

"Let me go!" The boy yelled, while hitting Akashi's back.

The redhead just pushed him back onto the bed and pinned him down. "I'm not a client, I'm here to check you and that's it. I hate my job as much as you're going to hate yours. So don't make this any harder than it's supposed to be." Akashi said.

The blue haired boy calmed down at the sound of Akashi's voice and gave a hesitant but gentle nod. The redhead slowly let go of him and sat down.

"What's your name?" Akashi asked.

The blue haired boy mumbled, "Kuroko…Tetsuya…"

The redhead scribbled the name down and continued, "Age?"

"Seventeen." Kuroko said with no emotion.

"I'm nineteen. Have you ever had sex with someone?"

"No. I've never had a sexual interaction with anyone." The blue haired boy admitted.

"You've never kissed someone?" Akashi asked, getting a bit curious about Kuroko. The blue haired boy shook his head no and then said,

"My father sold me because our family is poor. Who knows, maybe he'll sell my sister in a few months?"

Akashi sighed and stood up, "Get off the bed and please remove your clothes."

The blue haired boy blushed slightly and slowly got up, but couldn't seem to take off his clothes. "Sir, I can't. I just feel too uncomfortable doing this."

"Akashi Seijuro, that's my name. You don't have to use formalities with me, just with my ass of a father. I'm not going to suddenly attack you, so you can take off your clothes.

Kuroko's face became a shade darker and he stuttered, "Akashi-kun, I- I seriously can't."

The redhead sighed and said, "Turn around and talk to me about yourself."

Kuroko turned his back to Akashi reluctantly and said, "I was born on January the 31st. My favourite colour is red, I like vanilla milkshakes and I like basketball."

The redhead listened and then slowly put his hands on the hem of Kuroko's shirt, "Keep talking." He urged.

The blue haired boy tensed up but he continued, "I…have a strange memory of a person but I can't see the person clearly and I don't recall ever seeing someone like him."

"What does he look like?" Akashi asked as he unbuttoned Kuroko's shirt and gently tugged it off.

The blue haired boy flinched at Akashi's touch, "Tall, mismatched eyes; one golden, the other is bright red. Scars on his back; it's a small straight line, there are four."

Akashi touched Kuroko's back and traced the tally marks, "You have four marks here too."

"I know." The blue haired boy said while feeling the redhead's hands trace the zipper of his jeans.

Suddenly, Akashi stopped and sat down. He took a deep breathe, "Give me a second. I have a headache." He then took one of his shirts lying around and threw it onto Kuroko to cover him.

The blue haired boy showed concern and worry, "Are you alright? Should I go get someone?"

Akashi shook his head, "I'm fine. This is nothing, I just got a small headache."

Kuroko sat down while clutching onto Akashi's shirt and he waited until the redhead was ready to move on.

Finally, the redhead got up and smiled, "I'm sorry about that. We'll just skip the physical examination because you already seem clean. I'll show you to your rom and you can meet the others."

Akashi and Kuroko walked down the halls and got to a room with a red door. The redhead let the blue haired boy walk in first to see four other boys sitting around and playing a "friendly" game of monopoly.

"Hey, I brought someone new." Akashi said.

All of them turned their heads and smiled at the newcomer. The first one to approach Kuroko was a blonde, he hugged Kuroko and said, "Aw, you're so adorable! I'm Kise Ryouta, age eighteen."

Akashi gave Kise a cold look and the blonde immediately took his arms off of Kuroko. The others approached him too and introduced themselves.

"Midorima Shintaro. Nineteen."

"Murasakibara Atsushi. Nineteen."

"Kagami Taiga. Eighteen."

The blue haired boy couldn't help but smile at the welcoming faces. "Kuroko Tetsuya. Seventeen." He whispered shyly.

Kise gaped at the blue haired boy and exclaimed in disbelief, "Seventeen?! The younger, the more brutal the client. Akashicchi! You can't let **him** get to Kurokocchi!"

Kuroko suddenly felt nervous but Akashi's hand on his shoulder calmed him down slightly.

"It's alright, he's not going to get Tetsuya. Tetsuya can find who he wants himself." Akashi said softly. The blue haired boy turned to look at the redhead and asked,

"Who I want?"

Kise butt in and explained, "The one who takes care of you most of the time. It's like, the person who buys you because both of you have something more intimate. I have Aomine Daiki, he's trying to raise double my cost to buy my and until then, I don't have to have sex with anyone. No one can request me either. No one else has their "one" yet except for me and until you find you "one", you're tossed to anyone who requests you."

Kuroko tilted his head to the side and asked, "So…the 'one' is someone who falls in love with you."

Kise nodded with a puppy-like expression on his face. Akashi moved towards the door and said, "I'll leave you guys to get comfortable. I'll bring dinner at six."

When the group was sure that the redhead was out of ear-shot, they all huddled around Kuroko.

Kise squeled, "Kurokocchi, do you like Akashicchi?"

The blue haired boy stared wide eyes and shook his head, "No!"

Midorima looked at Kuroko from head to toe and pointed at the blue haired boy's shirt, "That's Akashi's shirt. He always wears a white dress shirt."

"Ah…" Kuroko started. He hadn't even noticed that he was still wearing Akashi's shirt, "He just gave it to me during my examination."

Kagami raised an eyebrow, "Oh? I don't believe Akashi was ever kind to us like that. I think that the manager's son has a little crush on you, Kuroko. Or at least, he's taken a liking to you."

The blue haired boy blushed, "He does not. We just met!"

"How do you know you just met?" Kagami asked, "For all you know, you could've been married in another life."

"…That's…weird." Kuroko stated. The blue haired boy felt comfortable around the other guys. Though Murasakibara didn't talk much and Kise was a little too loud; they were enjoyable people to be around. At exactly 6 o'clock, not second sooner or later, the door swung open and Akashi walked in. He didn't seem to be in a good mood and everyone in the group stayed away from him. All except Kuroko who had a strange feeling of wanting to get to know the redhead better.

"Um…Akashi-kun?" The blue haired boy asked.

Akashi turned and smiled gently, "Tetsuya, I need you to come to my room after dinner. We can talk about things there and I also have to go over standard procedures."

When Akashi left, Kise was sitting there baffled as he muttered, "Akashicchi…smiled at 6 o'clock… Impossible."

"What's wrong with six o'clock?" Kuroko asked while eating dinner. Kagami chuckled and explained,

"Akashi tends to get in a fight with his father about everything so he's never in a good mood for dinner. The fact that he smiled is amazing. He would normally just tell us to go away."

The blue haired boy let out a small laugh, "He sounds so childish."

Murasakibara spoke up for the first time that day, "Have you seen his eyes?"

"They're red." Kuroko answered, but Murasakibara shook his head in disagreement.

"His real eyes," the purple haired boy said, "He wears a colour contact over one eye."

Suddenly remembering his small vision, Kuroko asked, "What colour is that eye?"

"One is like a pool of blood and the other is gold like the sun." The purple haired boy explained. The blue haired boy got a small headache and he froze in place.

Hiding his pain, he got up and said that he should go to Akashi's room. Kagami got up and decided to escort him, since Kuroko probably had no clue as to where he was going. While they walked down the halls, Kagami warned the blue haired boy,

"There's…this one guy who comes around and likes to cause pain to us. Kise thinks that he's going to come for you just as he had come for Kise long ago. This guy is…he's not nice, he's the exact definition of hate. So, just take care of yourself."

Kuroko didn't understand fully but he nodded and said farewell to Kagami once they go to Akashi's door. The blue haired boy knocked lightly and waited for a response. Kuroko heard multiple locks being unlocked and then finally the door swung open. The redhead smiled and gestured for Kuroko to sit on the bed.

"Alright, since you're really inexperienced, you're on a week hold, which is where you can't get requested because you're learning. I'm going to teach you how to treat a client, how to talk with them and everything." Akashi explained while taking his sweater off. The blue haired boy thanked Akashi silently for giving him a week to be mentally prepared. The redhead started the first lesson,

"One; introduce yourself. Don't feel offended if the client doesn't tell you his or her name, sometimes they just don't want you to know who they are."

Kuroko nodded, trying to fill his head with this information.

"Second; condoms. Always, always, always. Only time you or your client don't have to use one is if he or she is "the one". Each room is set up the same. Come with me."

Kuroko stood up and followed the redhead. Inside the room, there was one bed, a couch and two drawers by the beds. Akashi pointed at the drawers, "You can find some in any of the drawers. Anyway, third; do not ask them to do anything for you. Unless they tell you to do something. Also, follow their orders and demands, meaning no more of this shyness in taking off your clothes."

The blue haired boy was baffled, "What?! You want me to…practice taking my clothes off in front of people or something?"

"Whatever helps." Akashi said with a small smile. Then the redhead pushed Kuroko against the wall and whispered in his ear, "You can practice in front of me."

The blue haired boy's face felt like it was on fire. He did his best to hide his face from Akashi and he muttered, "You should be the one servicing clients."

"Eh?" The redhead said while raising an eyebrow.

"Your amount of seductiveness and your good looks would make you a lot better at this job than I…" Kuroko voiced his thoughts out loud. Akashi let out a laugh and then his voice dropped into a deep tone as he said,

"This job wouldn't be good for me. You see, Tetsuya, I give, I do not receive."

Kuroko didn't understand the line at first but then he realized what it meant. _So he's always on top…seems weird for someone as short as him. _The blue haired boy thought. The redhead continued,

"Now then, practice."

Kuroko stuttered, his face still a bright pink, "I-uh…I…what, um, what do I do?"

Akashi sat down on the bed and gestured for Kuroko to come closer. The blue haired boy took small wary steps towards the redhead. Suddenly, a hand snatched out and grabbed Kuroko by the arm. The blue haired boy yelped and was thrown onto his back on the bed. Akashi was on top of him, leaning in close.

"Now then," The redhead started, "What would you do if you were in a situation like this?"

Kuroko was unable to stop staring at Akashi's eyes. He stumbled over his words and in the end, he acted on impulse. The blue haired boy didn't know why he did it, but the moment he did, Akashi froze in place. Kuroko had leaned up and kissed the redhead gently on the lips. He felt Akashi tense up, but the redhead was quick to respond by pushing his lips down onto Kuroko's. The blue haired boy felt as if he had been wanting to kiss Akashi for his whole life, even though they had only met that day. Kuroko wrapped his arms around the redhead and tugged him closer, while Akashi kept his weight balanced on his elbows.

Suddenly, the redhead pulled away, his face turning red and then said, "I'm so sorry. That wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't…I'm sorry."

"Akashi-kun, what are you apologizing for?" The blue haired boy asked at the sudden outburst. Akashi just silently took Kuroko's hand and walked back to his room. The redhead sat down on his bed and sighed, his head pounding in pain. The blue haired boy stood still and wondered what he had done wrong.

Finally, Kuroko decided to leave, but before he left, he gently leaned down and kissed Akashi on the cheek, "Akashi-kun, you didn't do anything wrong. I kissed you by my own will, so don't apologize for something I wanted."

The blue haired boy was ready to leave but Akashi lightly grabbed Kuroko's hand and pulled him back down for a kiss.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't hold back." He whispered.

_Akashi-kun is a confusing person…_ Kuroko thought, but he was more than happy to kiss the redhead back. The blue haired boy was pulled on top of Akashi and the redhead deepened the kiss.

After a while, the two of them lay down side by side, both naked from head to toe. Kuroko was trying to catch his breath form his first time and he turned to face Akashi who was also trying to catch his breath.

"Murasakibara-kun mentioned your colour contacts. Can I see your eyes?" Kuroko asked, his voice hoarse from moaning out Akashi's name.

The redhead seemed doubtful but he went to the washroom, took out his colour contact and came back. The blue haired boy put his hands on both sides of Akashi's cheeks and saw that the redhead had his eyes closed tightly.

"Why are you hiding them?" Kuroko asked.

"It's a disgusting eye and it fits that description of your memory." Akashi muttered, feeling nervous.

The blue haired boy just lightly brushed his fingers over Akashi's eyelids and whispered, "Open your eyes."

The redhead slowly opened them to reveal his mismatched eyes. Kuroko gasped slightly when he saw them, his memories returning.

"I want you to be 'the one'." Kuroko mumbled while sorting out his thoughts.

Akashi looked stunned, no one had ever proposed this to him. It was as if Kuroko had asked him to marry him. The redhead eventually nodded and said, "Okay. I'll gather the money by tomorrow. I don't want anyone else to have you."

The blue haired boy realized that the redhead didn't remember but the fact that he agreed was good enough for Kuroko. Akashi wrapped his arms around the blue haired boy and kissed him on the forehead.

Kuroko curled up against the redhead; happy to have found him again. Akashi watched the blue haired boy slowly fall asleep.

Kuroko mumbled in his sleep and the redhead found it undeniably adorable. Soon enough, Akashi fell asleep as well, holding onto Kuroko tightly.

The next morning, the blue haired boy was sent back to his room while Akashi sorted out double Kuroko's price. The redhead walked into his father's office and said, "Kuroko Tetsuya; he's mine."

"Oh? Since when do you claim prostitutes?" His father asked, amused by his son.

"Since last night. He's mine, so register it into the system." The redhead said. But his father just shook his head and said with a grin,

"I won't allow this. You don't have the money for Kuroko. He's over $100 000, a kid like you can't find the money."

Akashi brought out a suitcase and slammed it down onto his father's desk, "$300 000 in cash right in front of your eyes. Can I have him now?"

His father leaned forward, intrigued by the money in front of him. Then he said, "An extra 100 000 and you've got a deal."

Akashi just silently slammed another suitcase onto the desk and said, "I got an extra 200 000 because I knew you'd want more.

"Sold!" The redhead's father yelled. He made a phone call and said, "Kuroko Tetsuya is coming up right now."

Akashi waited patiently and saw the blue haired boy struggling against the grasps of two other workers.

"Let me go, you bastards!" Kuroko yelled. The workers released the blue haired boy who stumbled into Akashi's arms. The blue haired boy calmed down when he felt Akashi's arms around him and he pressed his face into the redhead's chest.

Behind them, they heard a gun cock. Akashi turned to see his father pointing a gun at him.

"I'd lose a son before I lose my business. Kuroko Tetsuya can get more money than you can ever give me. He's beautiful, innocent and a virgin."

The redhead held Kuroko tighter and mumbled, "Was a virgin. You won't shoot me."

"Try me." His father said, his finger lightly placed against the trigger.

When Kuroko saw the gun, he remembered the pain he felt in his previous life and he held onto Akashi,

"Please…Akashi-kun, don't do this. Give me up. It's alright, just anything but a gun. I can't stand to go through that pain again. I don't want to watch you bleed to death in front of me." He said desperately while eyeing the gun. The redhead felt Kuroko tremble but he said,

"It's alright. We'll be fine."

Akashi's father ordered the guards, "Pull Kuroko away from him."

The blue haired boy shook his head furiously and held on tighter to the redhead. He screamed, "No! Please God, no! Give me up, Akashi-kun. Seijuro…please, don't die. Seijuro, remember me."

The moment his first name was spoken, it was enough to trigger Akashi's memories. He held onto Kuroko and brushed away his tears,

"I remember, Tetsuya." He said with a small smile.

At that moment, it was clear. If they were going to get shot, they would get shot together. Kuroko couldn't stop the tears from falling, he leaned up and kissed Akashi on the lips and then held onto him.

Before any shots were fired, the door to the redhead's father's office burst open. A tall tanned man walked in with a grin and said,

"Oi, Akashi-san! I heard from a specific blonde that you're breaking my father's rules again. That blonde also mentioned a cute, small, blue-eyed kid. Oh, I guess that's you," He pointed at Kuroko and acknowledges his presence, "You know my father will shut down your business if you break his rules. What's this?"

He walked towards the suitcases of money, "$500 000 for this kid and you're breaking the rules? This is over double his price, I'm sure of that. So let the buyer get his lover. That's the rule. No 'buts' and 'ifs' about it. Whoever buys, will get."

The redhead's father looked nervous. It wasn't the man he was afraid of, but it seemed to be the man's father. Akashi's father lowered the gun and signed a paper, "Kuroko Tetsuya now belongs to Akashi Seijuro."

The man took the paper and handed it to Kuroko who was frozen in place. The tanned man lead them out of the room and back to the rest of the group.

"I'm Aomine Daiki; Kise's partner. It's nice to meet you."

"Daiki…" Akashi muttered, "Thank you."

"No problem." Aomine said with a smile, "You take care of Kise for me while of gone, the least I could do is save your life. For now, you should all stay together. As long as I'm near you guys, your father won't try to kill you in your sleep or something."

Akashi nodded in agreement. When they got to the room, Kise glued himself to Aomine and asked him if he was alright. The rest of the group talked to each other, leaving the pair of couple alone. Akashi held Kuroko on his lap and whispered to him,

"The moment we get out of here we're going to free everyone else, get our tally mark and celebrate for having 5 lifetimes together. How does that sound?"

Kuroko nodded, "It sounds like a very good idea."

Aomine stayed up all night to keep watch, just in case someone walked in. The next morning, Aomine, Kise, Akashi and Kuroko walked out as free people and they came back a day later to buy everyone else. Midorima, Murasakibara and Kagami were free people too and Akashi's father's business would soon fall. The redhead bought an apartment and lived happily with Kuroko.

Akashi also helped everyone else get their lives started by giving them some money.

Kuroko and Akashi got their fifth tally mark which slashed diagonally through the four previous ones. Then they spent every hour together. They did their best to be careful of hazards. Both of them decided that they wouldn't be messing with fate just by being careful; if fate wanted one of them dead, it would happen whether they were being careful or not. Akashi was the first to pass away and Kuroko couldn't help but lock himself in his room and cry for a few days. Eventually, Aomine got him out of the room and tried to cheer him up. The blue haired boy recovered and spent most of his days cleaning around the apartment and remembering Akashi. He daydreamed about how they would meet in their next life and how beautiful their love would be. He imagined the look on Akashi's face when they would remember their previous lives. He smiled at the thought of seeing him again.

A few years afterwards, Kuroko passed away as well.


	6. Life 6

The blue haired barista was good at his job. He continuously got praised for his skills. Though he only had to prep the coffee, the blue haired boy did his best on every cup, with something special. Kuroko Tetsuya loved to make coffee for people. He loved being able to relieve the stress from people's shoulders with just one sip of coffee.

Akashi was always grumpy. The redhead obviously didn't like working every day but he needed the money to survive in the world. His shoulders were slumped over from the heavy amounts of stress and all he wanted was to relax. As he walked down the street, his eyes filled with depression. A voice called out to him,

"Sir, would you like to try some coffee? We have one that'll soothe anyone."

Akashi turned to see a blonde smiling at him. The redhead shrugged and decided that it wouldn't kill him for coffee. He walked into the store and smelled the roasted coffee beans, milk and sugar. It was a beautiful smell indeed. He sat down at a table and noticed there wasn't a type of menu. He called for a waiter and the blonde came rushing to him.

"How may I help you?" he asked, that cheerful smile still glued to his face.

"There's no menu…" Akashi muttered, confused at how this café functioned without a menu. The blonde laughed a bit and said,

"It's alright, your order will be here soon and all cups are only 2 dollars."

Akashi felt a tug of amusement as he watched the waiter leave to serve others. The redhead was curious now; he wanted to know what this café was capable of.

About five minutes later, the blonde lightly placed a cup in front of him. The coffee was a rich brown colour and the coffee art was a picture of lavender. The redhead observed the cup in front of him and then picked it up. He took a very small sip, expecting it to be scalding hot to the point where it would singe his taste buds. But it was warm. Not hot. It was the perfect temperature for Akashi to not burn his tongue off. He took another sip and smiled down at his cup as if it was a newborn baby. The taste was wonderful, it had a special kind of flavor to it that had nothing to do with coffee and Akashi immediately felt relaxed. The redhead loved the taste so much that he asked for another cup.

The blonde smiled and skipped off to place the order. He came back five minutes later and placed the cup in front of Akashi. This time the coffee looked different and the art was of a rose. The redhead took a large gulp, now knowing it most likely wouldn't be boiling hot. It was equally as good as the first one. The taste was different though; there was a peculiar taste that made it different from other coffee shops.

The redhead called for the blonde and asked him, "Can I meet who made this…" Akashi looked at the blonde's name tag, "Kise?"

The blonde looked doubtful and he shook his head, "Unfortunately, our barista is a bit on the shy side and he doesn't like to…socialize. I'll ask him though."

Kise ran off and then came out with a tall tanned boy who had his arms crossed. The boy said, "I'm Aomine and I'm the barista's friend. He's really shy about these things so he refuses to come out."

Akashi felt disappointed and then said, "That's fine. However, please tell him that his coffee is amazing and that it cheered me up."

Aomine smirked, "Of course and Tetsu's coffee can cheer up anyone, he makes it so that it happens."

"What do you mean by that?" Akashi asked.

Kise spoke this time, "He observes every customer that walks in and based on their actions, he's able to determine their emotion and then he makes a cup to either relieve it or make their mood even better."

Akashi became more curious about this barista. His eyes darted towards the tiny kitchen and they locked with baby blue eyes staring right at him. When the eye contact was made, the boy with blue eyes hastily tried to hide. The redhead smiled, thanked the waiters, paid and then left.

Akashi came back every day for a cup of coffee, since he was always depressed after work. Each time, the flavor changed. The redhead began to take notes on what was infused with his coffee. After a week or so, he had a pretty long list and he was determined to meet the boy with the blue eyes. He called Kise over once more and asked,

"Are you sure I can't meet him?"

The blonde sighed, "I'll ask him again."

A few minutes later, Kise came back with a surprised look on his face, "He said that if you want to meet him, you'd have to wait until everyone leaves and that his friends, so the others and I, can be present while you two are talking."

Akashi nodded, "That's fine. I'll wait then."

Hours passed, the redhead sat there and watched people come and go. He glanced at the small kitchen from time to time and saw those blue eyes again. Those bright eyes observed a new customer for a few minutes and then disappeared. Only seconds later did Kise walk out with a cup of coffee. Akashi saw this pattern happen over and over again. He even ended up drawing those blue eyes on his notebook. From time to time, the redhead was able to see tuffs of blue hair when the boy turned to make coffee.

_I feel like a highschool girl who's in love…_ Akashi thought to himself with a smile.

Finally when the store was closing up. Aomine and Kise walked out with two other people. They smiled and introduced themselves,

"I'm Midorima Shintaro, the store manager."

"I'm Murasakibara Atsushi, I make all the sweets."

Akashi acknowledged their introductions and said, "Akashi Seijuro, I work as a manga artist."

None of them said anything for a while until they heard someone yell in the kitchen, "Kuroko! Stop grabbing onto me! You're the one who said you would meet him!"

A tall redhead dragged a smaller blue haired boy out of the kitchen; the blue haired boy was quick to conceal himself behind his friend. The taller redhead smiled at Akashi and said, "I'm Kagami Taiga, I help Kuroko with the coffee."

The blue haired boy gripped Kagami's sleeve and kept his face pressed against the redhead's back. Kagami noticed that the blue haired boy was trembling so he said, "The one behind me is Kuroko Tetsuya, he's the barista."

Akashi smiled and said, "It's nice to meet all of you. To Kuroko, I really love the coffee that you make me and I appreciate your help in cheering me up."

The redhead pulled out his notebook and read out the notes he had made, "Lavender, rose, chamomile, jasmine and mandarin. These are all things that help relieve stress, depression and fatigue, right?"

Kuroko nodded slightly, moving to peek out from Kagami's arms.

"Thank you. From the depths of my heart…" Akashi moved and lightly took Kuroko's hand. He kissed the back of it before Kuroko could pull away, causing the blue haired boy to blush, "Thank you so much."

He then picked up his briefcase and waved, "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Once Akashi was gone, Kuroko slumped down to the floor and tried to hide his red face. Kise grinned, "Kurokocchi, you've fallen hard for Akashicchi, haven't you?"

Kagami picked him up from the ground and rubbed his hair, "Just keep doing what you're doing. From the looks of it, this Akashi guy has fallen for you too."

The next day, Akashi came back to have a cup of coffee. This time the coffee art was of a heart and the taste was wonderful. Even though there was nothing infused with it, the redhead guessed that the heart meant 'infused with love'. Akashi smiled and then saw those blue eyes on him. He waved and saw Kuroko quickly disappear from embarrassment. The redhead chuckled and then continued to draw his ideas out onto a piece of paper. When Akashi was about to leave, Kise stopped him and said,

"Kurokocchi asks, 'Can you stay a bit longer?'. His words, not mine."

The redhead smiled slightly, "Tell him that if he can tell me himself tomorrow, then I'll stay every day until his shift is over."

The blonde nodded and let Akashi leave. When Kise told Kuroko about what Akashi had said, the blue haired boy responded,

"Thank you, Kise-kun. I'll try my best."

The next day, Akashi got another cup of coffee with a heart. The redhead drank the coffee and worked in the café. After a while, he decided to go back to his apartment. Akashi made sure to move slowly, figuring that Kuroko would have a hard time actually telling him to stay. The café wasn't busy, there was only six people, including Akashi, so the redhead hoped that the blue haired boy would come out of his hiding place (the kitchen). As he was walking out the door, he felt someone grab his hand.

Akashi turned to see Kuroko. He was in plain sight this time. The small boy wore a white dress shirt and a black apron was wrapped around his waist. His face was bright red and his blue eyes stared at the ground. The redhead took a hold of Kuroko's hand and pulled him into his embrace. The blue haired boy fell and held onto the redhead's shirt while Akashi wrapped his arms around Kuroko's waist. The redhead heard the blue haired boy's quiet voice,

"Can…you please stay?"

Akashi smiled and nodded, "Of course."

The redhead buried his face into Kuroko's hair; it smelled of coffee and flowers. Kuroko held tightly onto Akashi, enjoying the warmth of someone he loved. They stayed like this for a while until Aomine came and said,

"Tetsu…orders…Kagami can't do it all alone."

"Ah! I'm sorry, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said as he let go of Akashi. Before running back into the kitchen, the barista turned and smiled at Akashi. The redhead blushed and smiled back, then he sat back down and continued on his manga. When the store closed, Akashi saw Kuroko slowly walk up to him and mutter,

"Thank you for staying."

The redhead rubbed the mess of blue hair and said, "Good work today."

Kagami watched them leave together and said, "Well, they're getting along swimmingly, aren't they?"

Kise agreed, "Who knew that love can blossom through coffee?"

Akashi walked Kuroko to his house and the redhead talked, "I never knew you could infuse coffee with these things. Usually, I thought it was just tea."

Kuroko laughed slightly and said, "I never actually got to properly introduce myself. I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, I'm twenty three years old. It's nice to meet you."

"Akashi Seijuro, twenty five years old. It's nice to meet you too."

As they walked side by side, the blue haired boy lightly brushed his fingers against Akashi's. the redhead was quick to notice and he gently intertwined their fingers together. Both of them were blushing hard, but it was hard to tell in the dark. When they got to Kuroko's door, the blue haired boy turned to face Akashi.

"Are you going to stay tomorrow too?"

The redhead nodded, "And every day after that."

"Thank you, Akashi-kun."

Once they parted, the redhead walked home, feeling proud of himself. His happiness was overflowing at the mere thought of Kuroko. The next day when Akashi entered the café, something felt different. The atmosphere was more silent and less cheerful. Kise came, without his usual smile and said,

"…W-welcome back, Akashicchi."

The coffee came out slower than usual. The art was of five tally marks. The redhead held the cup lightly in his hands and then took a sip. Instead of feeling happiness, he felt a surge of sadness and pain wash through him.

Something was wrong.

Akashi abruptly stood up, knocking his chair over and stormed into the kitchen, despite Kise's protests.

"Tetsuya?!" He yelled, upon entering the kitchen which was a mess.

Akashi saw the blue haired boy sitting in the corner of the kitchen, tears streaming down his face. His hands were covered in wet clothes and Kagami did his best to treat Kuroko and coax him into going to the hospital. The blue haired boy looked up at Akashi and whimpered slightly,

"Akashi-kun…"

The redhead sat down and slowly removed the pieces of cloth covering the blue haired boy's hands. Kuroko's hands were burned badly and it didn't seem like an accident.

"Who did this to you?" Akashi asked.

"I spilled a bit of—"

Who did this to you?!" Akashi demanded, cutting off Kuroko's white lie, "This is not a burn caused by an accident."

"H-Haizaki Shougo…" The blue haired boy muttered as Akashi brought him over to a sink. The redhead filled the sink with cold water and gently dipped Kuroko's hands into it. The blue haired boy hissed at the feeling.

"Who's Haizaki Shougo?" Akashi asked while observing the burns on Kuroko's hands.

The blue haired boy winced when Akashi's fingers brushed over the burns, "He was the former manager of the store, except my father replaced him with Midorima-kun. Being my father's son made Haizaki hold a grudge against me. He came in a few minutes before you and dumped some of the boiling water onto my hands after having an argument with me."

The redhead lightly held Kuroko's hands and said, "We have to go to the hospital. This isn't something you can treat with just water and bandages."

The blue haired boy nodded and followed Akashi.

The doctor applied a salve to Kuroko's burn and wrapped a bandage around it. He then gave Akashi the salve and told him to change the bandages every hour or so. The redhead walked Kuroko home and decided to stay to take care of him.

"Akashi-kun, I'm sorry." The blue haired boy muttered while staring at the ground.

"What are you talking about, this is no problem. Besides, it's not your fault that this happened."

Kuroko showed Akashi around his apartment and then sat down in his room to rest a bit. The redhead walked in an hour later with the salve. He took Kuroko's hands in his and applied the cold salve gently. The blue haired boy winced slightly from time to time but he eventually got through it. As Akashi was wrapping the bandages around Kuroko's hands, the blue haired boy suddenly held the redhead's hands still. Akashi looked up from Kuroko's hands and then felt a gently kiss on his cheek. The redhead was stunned; when Kuroko pulled away, his face was bright red.

"I…uh…" Kuroko started, "I'm sorr—"

Before the blue haired boy could finish his apology, Akashi tilted his chin and lightly planted a kiss on his lips.

"Don't be sorry for worrying me. It's only natural for me to worry and want to take care of you." The redhead claimed. Then he continued wrapping the bandages.

"How the hell did this guy burn both of your hands at the same time?" Akashi asked.

Kuroko snapped out of his daze and said, "He was yelling and knocked stuff over. Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun did their best to protect me, except then Haizaki got a hold of me and I told him to get out. Then after that, he had both my wrists in his grasp and there was some water boiling on the stove top so he grabbed that and poured it over my hands."

The redhead was horrified with the explanation. _What kind of human being is capable of doing that to someone as innocent as Tetsuya?_ Akashi thought.

"Well, you're not going to go to work for a while." The redhead said.

Kuroko stood up abruptly in protest, "Akashi-kun, I have to go! Kagami-kun can't do everything by himself."

The redhead frowned, "You can't do anything if you go."

"I can observe the customers and then tell Kagami what to do." Kuroko stated, "If you want, you can come and make sure I don't use my hands."

"Maybe I will." Akashi said.

The two of them sat in silence for a while then Akashi stood up and sent Kuroko to bed. Before the redhead left the room the blue haired boy lightly grabbed onto his sleeve/

"Can you stay?" He asked quietly in the darkness.

Akashi nodded and lay down beside Kuroko. After a while, they both fell asleep.

In the morning, Kuroko saw Akashi buttoning up his shirt and smiling at him, "Good morning, Tetsuya. It's time to change your bandages."

The blue haired boy slowly got up in his daze and let Akashi wrap new bandages onto his hands. Once he finished, the redhead gave Kuroko a soft kiss on the lips.

"Are you awake yet?" He asked.

The blue haired boy smiled, "No."

Akashi pressed his lips against Kuroko's again, a bit harder this time, "How about now?"

"Mm…No." The blue haired boy mumbled in a teasing tone. The redhead gently pushed Kuroko onto the bed and kissed him hard. The blue haired boy wrapped his arms around Akashi and pulled him closer. The alarm on Kuroko's phone rang to remind him to go to work and the blue haired boy quickly got dressed and said,

"I'm awake now. Let's go."

At work, Akashi watched Kuroko observe his customers and then shout out orders to Kagami, who was surprisingly keeping up. Every few hours, the redhead would change the bandaged on Kuroko's hands and give him a little kiss.

The love that sparked between the two was bright and passionate. They gave off the glow of a newlywed couple.

It was only a few years later that they got their memories back. Kuroko was moving things into their new apartment and he noticed an old basketball in Akashi's stuff. When he touched the basketball, his memories flowed back to him. After that, he did his best to make Akashi remember by talking about reincarnation and eventually, it worked. They continued to date throughout the years and they got their 6th tattoo. Eventually Kuroko passed away and a few months later, Akashi passed away as well.


	7. Life 7

_Irritated. Irritated. Irritated. _Akashi thought to himself while watching the couple whisper sweet nothings to each other. _Every single time I see them talking or laughing or kissing together, it just makes me want to stab someone in the eyes with my fingers._

He walked by them without looking Kuroko in the eyes. The blue haired boy was held tightly in Kagami's arms as the taller redhead said, "I love you, Kuroko."

Akashi wanted so badly to punch Kagami in the mouth so that he'd swallow his teeth, but he just silently walked by. Kuroko noticed him though. His eyes followed the redhead as he walked passed them. When Akashi was gone, Kuroko sighed and talked with Kagami before the next class started. To Akashi, highschool was a sorry excuse to start a relationship, there was no way you can feel love when you're this young. It's not like you're getting married either.

_People take love so lightly. Truth is that we're immature when it comes to love and that's why parents never take us seriously. One tiny kiss and bam! You have to get married now._ Akashi thought to himself. He didn't realize though, that he definitely liked Kuroko. The blue haired boy had such angelic features, his voice like a sirene and his body like a model. Only thing was that Akashi didn't notice these things until after the blue haired boy started dating Kagami. This fact infuriated Akashi to the point of no return. The redhead wasn't one to fall so hard and this was probably the first time he actually did fall in love.

At first, Akashi believed it was a phase he was going through, but as time passed, the redhead felt this strange pull towards Kuroko. The redhead refused to notice the blue haired boy so he continuously tried to avoid his gaze. Problem was that they were all friends so Akashi was often standing with Kagami, Kuroko, MIdorima, Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara.

Kuroko was always cheerful and laughing, but even when he had Kagami as a boyfriend, he noticed that his own eyes tend to follow Akashi. The blue haired boy didn't know why, he just knew that Akashi kept snatching his attention. Kuroko quickly became frustrated when he realized that he stared straight into Akashi's eyes once when he was kissing Kagami.

_Am I unfaithful? _Kuroko thought to himself, _Why do I keep thinking about Akashi-kun?_

Eventually, the blue haired boy decided to try and ignore all feelings for Akashi.

There was a problem in the way for both of them, as much as Akashi didn't want to notice Kuroko and vice versa, they had all their classes together. Another rfact was that it was just them, no Kagami, no Aomine or Kise or any of the others. Akashi and Kuroko had every class together and they weren't sure whether they should hate it or love it.

The redhead was as polite as ever when talking with Kuroko and the blue haired boy treated everyone as a friend, so they didn't have any trouble getting along. It was just their feelings that got in the way of everything.

When Kuroko was walking down the halls with Akashi while carrying a box filled with science equipment for their lab experiment, both of them were talking about something stupid when the redhead decided to speak his mind,

"Hey, Tetsuya?"

"Hm? What is it, Akashi-kun?"

"…I…uh…Nevermind. It's nothing."

Kuroko looked curiously at Akashi and noticed that his face was growing pink. The blue haired boy felt his own face flush at the sight of Akashi blushing. He quickly looked away and they continued their way to the classroom.

With every day that went by, Kuroko found himself hoping that Akashi would say something to him; anything to sort out his feelings. The blue haired boy was frustrated with his emotions and he just wanted an answer.

Akashi silently wished that something bad would happen to Kuroko and Kagami's relationship. As evil as it sounded, wishing for something to happen was better than making something happen. As much as he wished for it, he didn't do anything to make that happen.

Sometimes, their hands would touch while working on a project together in class and both of them would flinch away from the touch and supress their feelings.

Kuroko felt horrible for slowly falling for Akashi, he knew that it wasn't fair to Kagami, so he decided to break up with him and once and for all end his confusion.

When Kagami came over to Kuroko's house, the blue haired boy finally spoke up.

"Kagami-kun…" The blue haired boy interrupted the taller redhead before he had a chance to kiss him. Kuroko turned away and stumbled over his words, "I'm so sorry…I don't know how I feel about you anymore…"

Kagami didn't seem angry at all, he sat down beside Kuroko and asked, "It's Akashi, right?"

The blue haired boy stared wide eyed, "How did you know that?"

"I can see the way you two look at each other. Honestly, it's like you two are making out with your eyes. I understand, Kuroko, and I'm not angry with you. Frustrated…maybe a bit… But I get that you just feel something pulling you to Akashi and not to me anymore. I lost to that midget and I can take that." Kagami said with a slight smile.

Kuroko still felt horrible, "I'm sorry."

The taller of the two turned to face the blue haired boy and said, "I think that instead of apologizing to me, you should be apologizing to Akashi for making him wait for so long."

"I don't know if I can face him though, or even confess to him." The blue haired boy muttered.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Kuroko went to see who was at the door. When he swung it open, he saw those crimson eyes piercing through him, causing his heart to beat at a rapid pace and ache.

"Tetsuya…hey…" Akashi muttered.

"Akashi-kun, what are you doing here?" Kuroko asked while clenching the hem of his own shirt to keep himself from randomly crying. He desperately wanted Akashi to know his feelings. So desperately.

Kagami walked up from behind Kuroko and asked, "Who's at the door, Kuroko?"

Kagami let out a small 'oh' when he saw Akashi. The taller redhead then shrank back into Kuroko's room without saying another word.

Akashi sighed and looked into those blue eyes that haunted yet blessed his dreams, "Tetsuya…I just came here to tell you that I want you to be happy. It doesn't matter what you're doing, but just do whatever makes you happy. If you find something you love, don't let go of it. If you need any help, I'll be here because I just want to see that beautiful smile on your face. Your happiness brings the light into my life and it is most important to me because I-I love you…And I know you're dating Taiga, so this is very bad for me to interfere with your relationship with him. But I can't stop loving you. The way your eyes glow when you're happy or the way your voice sounds; I love it all. However, if Taiga makes you happy, I won't make a move to change anything and you should be with him to be happy…"

Kuroko stood there with his mouth open, unable to respond. The redhead quickly left before the blue haired boy could say anything. Once Akashi was gone, Kagami came out and said, "Wow…that was beautiful."

The taller redhead heard Kuroko sniffle, "Oi, Kuroko….are you okay?"

The blue haired boy started crying and then he ran outside to catch up to Akashi. When the redhead was nowhere in sight, Kuroko screamed his name into the dim streetlights of his neighbourhood. Eventually, he saw Akashi's figure slowly walking in the direction of the subway station.

The blue haired boy's eyes were still filled with tears and he was breathless from running but he continued and caught up to Akashi. The redhead was surprised to see Kuroko crying in front of him.

"Tetsuya…? Why?"

The blue haired boy suddenly slapped Akashi straight across the face as hard as he could and yelled, "Why did you just leave?! You didn't let me respond! You….Idiot! Idiot, Akashi! B-Bakashi!"

"Bakashi?!" Akashi exclaimed, feeling hurt for being called an idiot and having the word idiot merge with his name. Before the redhead could say anything, he felt Kuroko press his own lips to Akashi's.

"I'm happy with you."

"What about Taiga?"

"I invited him to my house so I could break up with him properly." Kuroko explained, "I just couldn't stop thinking about you."

Akashi smiled slightly and kissed the blue haired boy on the forehead, "I love you, Tetsuya."

"I love you." Kuroko said and leaned up for another kiss.

Their memories returned once they shared that kiss, both of them simultaneously getting a headache. Kuroko fainted from having all the memories rush back to him, so Akashi carried him back to Kuroko's apartment. He silently thanked Kagami for leaving because it would have been hard to explain how and why Kuroko fainted without mentioning reincarnation.

The next morning, Akashi gave Kuroko a small peck on the lips to wake him, but the blue haired boy remained unconscious. Growing worried, the redhead lightly shook Kuroko,

"Tetsuya? It's time to wake up."

Once again, no answer. Akashi hastily got up and felt for a pulse. Kuroko's heart was still beating and he was definitely breathing. The redhead tried again, "Tetsuya…wake up."

Akashi tried over and over again; each time resulting in no answer. He called in sick and told the school that Kuroko would be absent as well. The redhead took care of the blue haired boy, not understanding what was happening. After a few hours, Kuroko finally woke up. He looked around the room and saw Akashi with his head buried in his arms. Kuroko smiled and touched the redhead's shoulder. Akashi flinched awake and looked up, his face covered in tears.

"Seijuro…Were you crying?" Kuroko asked while brushing away the evident tears. The redhead leaned against Kuroko's touch and said,

"You…you wouldn't wake up. When I called you, you didn't open your eyes. I thought you were going to die after remembering me."

Kuroko gave a small laugh, "I'm sorry for worrying you, there were just so many memories rushing into my head, I think my body just shut down to keep up with the memories."

The redhead pulled Kuroko into his embrace and lightly kissed him, "Let's go get our seventh tattoo."

The blue haired boy nodded and followed Akashi to get their tattoo. Afterwards, they walked down the busy street, their fingers laced together.

"Seijuro, want to play a game?" Kuroko asked while smiling at his boyfriend.

The redhead was intrigued with the idea of a game, "Explain it to me."

"We predict what we'll be in the next life and see if we're right when we remember."

Akashi smiled and said, "Alright. You would be a prince and I would be your knight."

Kuroko let out a small laugh, "You would be…a teacher and I would be your student."

They continued to walk towards Kuroko's house and Akashi said, "You know, both of us aren't going to be right. There are too many possibilities of who we can be. Who knows if we'll be male in the next life?"

That night, they lay down side by side and made a list of people they would be,

"You would be a doctor and I would be your patient."

"You would be an orphan and I would be your guardian."

"You would…be…a…uh, I don't know. I'm running out of ideas. A vampire?"

"Ahaha, really Tetsuya? A vampire? What would you be then? Would you also be a vampire? Perhaps, a vampire that belongs to me?" Akashi asked while brushing Kuroko's hair away from his face.

The blue haired boy blushed and said, "I'll be anything you want me to be."

The two of them lived together and continued their list of people they might be in their next life. Eventually, when Kuroko passed away, the ideas stopped coming and the list stopped growing. Akashi read the list over and over again and then he ripped it apart and burned it to make sure there was no evidence left behind for anyone to find. Three years later, Akashi passed away as well.

**Author's Note:**

**By the way, if any of you are wondering why your request hasn't popped up yet, it's because I have a giant list waiting for me. I'm just going down the list the way I see fits. So, eventually it'll pop up, don't worry. I got it all down. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**See you in the next one.**


	8. Life 8

Akashi ran through the forest with his bow and arrow. His father had finally let him go out on his own for the first time. He was finally ten years old, so Akashi's father figured his son would be fine and wouldn't get trampled by a deer. The redhead continued to run, not exactly caring where he was going. He felt free like this; just running and enjoying the wind, the sun and the animals. Suddenly, Akashi heard some sort of alarm go off in the distance, then he saw someone running over the horizon.

The redhead squinted to get a better look and then he noticed that it was a human being. The person spotted him and grabbed Akashi by the wrist. The redhead was pushed behind a log with the stranger.

"What are you doing?!" Akashi asked.

"Hush, don't make a sound. I don't want to get caught." The person said. He wore something over his head and around his face so that he wouldn't be identified. Akashi only saw stunning blue eyes and he asked,

"Are you a prisoner?"

"Something like that." The boy said. They saw three knights run over the horizon and call out the boy's name,

"Tetsuya! Where are you?! Your father is going to be angry!"

The boy, who was apparently 'Tetsuya' eyed Akashi from head to toe and said, "Give me your bow and arrow for a second."

The redhead obeyed, feeling a sense of superiority from the stranger. The boy stood up and aimed. The cloth wrapped around his head was blown off and it fell to the ground to reveal his blue hair that looked as beautiful as the sky. He drew back his arms and shot an arrow at one of the knights. The knight fell to the ground and Akashi whispered harshly,

"You just killed a royal guard! You'll go to jail."

"Trust me, I'd rather go to jail than go back home." The boy said and he drew back another arrow. His form was beautiful and he aimed and gracefully took down another knight. Akashi watched silently as the boy took down the last knight. They sat down on the ground together and waited a bit.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. What's your name?"

"Akashi Seijuro." The redhead muttered. Kuroko thought about Akashi's name for a while and then smiled,

"I'll call you Sei-chan, then."

"Sei-chan?!" The redhead exclaimed in embarrassment.

"I'm thirteen. You?"

"Ten."

"Brilliant!" Kuroko said in a cheerful voice with a smile, "Sei-chan, can I stay at your place for a while? I'll be caught soon anyway, might as well enjoy my freedom while I'm out here."

Akashi was only able to nod his head and lead Kuroko to his house; he wasn't sure what to feel to the blue haired boy. Kuroko was definitely an interesting person and Akashi felt his heart beat faster whenever the blue haired boy looked at him.

When Kuroko and Akashi walked through the door, the redhead's parents bowed to the blue haired boy while Akashi wasn't looking. Kuroko quickly motioned for them to stand up and gently put a finger to his lips as if telling them to keep a secret. All of this went unnoticed by Akashi.

"Dad, I brought a friend over. Can he stay?" Akashi asked.

His dad nodded frantically, "Of course, he can stay as long as he wants!"

Akashi and Kuroko quickly became friends. Both of them were able to agree and disagree to the same things, which made it easier to understand each other's feelings. When darkness fell, Kuroko slowly became worried.

"Is someone coming for you?" Akashi asked while laying out a blanket onto his bed and an extra pillow for Kuroko right beside his own.

The blue haired boy smiled, "No."

Then he crawled under the covers beside Akashi and they both tried to sleep. The redhead gently held Kuroko's hand and muttered, "Goodnight."

Kuroko held onto Akashi's hand tighter and whispered back, "Goodnight, Sei-chan."

In the morning, there was someone pounding at the door. Akashi jolted awake from his sleep and saw the blue haired boy pacing back and forth. The blue haired boy looked at the redhead and spoke up, tears filling his eyes,

"Sei-chan, I want you to know that the few hours I've spent with you made my life worth something. You've shown me true happiness and freedom. I'll never forget you and I'll come find you one day, or you can find me. Thank you… for everything."

Kuroko leaned in and gently brushed their lips together. The kiss was innocent and shy and it felt like it was a kiss goodbye. Akashi didn't like the feeling; he didn't want to say goodbye. The redhead quickly held onto Kuroko's shirt and asked,

"When will I see you again?"

The blue haired boy hugged Akashi and sobbed, "Soon…I promise…I'll see you soon."

Royal guards stormed into the room and dragged Kuroko away. The blue haired boy screamed and kicked at them but they just took him away as if he was a stack of paper. Akashi was left alone, his arms now empty. The arms that once held Kuroko's warmth fell to his sides and he whispered,

"How long is 'soon'?"

Years passed and Akashi never saw the blue haired boy again. When the redhead turned seventeen, he realized he fell in love with that stranger he met so long ago. Akashi knew that he wouldn't look at any other person until he saw Kuroko again. His parents never talked to him about the blue haired boy and Akahsi didn't know where to start to look for him.

The redhead decided to work hard and gain a stronger reputation so that his search would be easier. His goal was to become a royal guard and serve within the kingdom. He was good at fighting with dual swords and also trustworthy with a bow and arrow. The king finally noticed his skill and hired him to be on guard at the royal ball since they were short a few guards. Akashi went with his group, which incorporated Kise, Aomine, Murasakibara and Midorima. The only problem was that they were mercenaries.

They stood in the ballroom and made sure no one would pop out and try to kill the king. Most people stayed away from them; knowing that they were mercenaries.

Akashi silently observed the rich people dance around in circles; the ladies wearing expensive ball gowns and the men wearing suits. The redhead wished to be a part of the riches, but he was born of low status. The party went on and finally someone announced,

"Introducing, the king's son and heir to the throne, Prince Tetsuya!"

Akashi's attention turned towards the staircase and saw a bow with blue hair walk down. A crown was lightly perched on top of his head and his blue eyes didn't shine with happiness. In fact, he looked miserable.

The redhead stared at Kuroko and watched him sit on the throne, _He was royalty?! Wow, I'm so stupid! Of course he's a prince. Stupid Akashi, my dreams consumed me. _Akashi thought to himself.

The redhead did his best to stay unnoticed by the prince and he focused on his duty at the kingdom.

One of the royal guards decided to pick a fight with Akashi, "You disgust me." The guard said with a sneer.

Akashi simple smiled, bowed and asked, "How so, sir?"

The royal guard laughed and said, "All mercenaries are the same, you all crawl on the ground looking for money. You should be dead. We don't need people like you—"

Kise interrupted and said, "Now, now…You wouldn't want to provoke our leader, would you? You would have to deal with all of us if you did offend our leader in any way. Mercenaries or not, we do not tolerate any kind of insult, especially if it's directed towards Akashicchi."

"Ha! Threats! Of course, scum like you would use threats!" The royal guard said with a smirk.

The blonde was about to lose his patience, "Akashicchi…Can I? I would be grateful if you would grant me permission to—"

"No Ryouta, you cannot take him in the back alley, gouge his eyes out and then slit his throat." The redhead said with no expression as if this was an everyday part of his routine.

Unfortunately, their little commotion attracted the attention of others, including the prince. Akashi feared he would be recognized so he faced the royal guard and bowed once more.

"I shall guard the exterior premises to ensure better safety." He said and he began to walk away.

Kuroko stared at the redhead as he left and he noticed the familiar figure and the bow and arrows strapped to his back. It was all too familiar for the prince. He yelled across the ballroom, "Sei-chan?!"

Akashi turned towards the voice and held back his pained expression. Kuroko understood what it meant; Akashi was trying to push him away because of their difference in status. The redhead bowed and said, "Prince Tetsuya, you may have mistaken me for someone else. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Akashi left and walked in the courtyard to calm down a bit. His emotions bubbled inside him as he brushed his fingers against hi slips, remembering that morning when Kuroko had kissed him goodbye. A few minutes later, Akashi heard a royal guard yell, "Prince Tetsuya, you can't walk in the courtyard without having a guard with you at all times!"

Kuroko looked down at the guard with a cold expression, "I don't believe you'll make a good guardian. If anyone is going to babysit me, I would like that mercenary to accompany me." He said while pointing at Akashi.

The royal guard protested, "He's a mercenary…He's dangerous."

Kuroko laughed, "Nonsense. That mercenary has been in more battles than you can ever be in your lifetime. He has lived through all his battles meaning that he is strong and I sense great leadership within him. Does that not mean that he is an experienced guard that is worthy of protecting me?"

The royal guard backed down and motioned for Akashi to follow the prince. The redhead stayed behind Kuroko and watched him carefully. When the blue haired boy was sure that no one was able to hear them, he said,

"It's nice to see you again, Sei-chan."

Akashi frowned and growled slightly, "I guess 'I'll see you soon' meant seven years."

"I'm sorry…" Kuroko muttered.

"No, your highness, you shouldn't be apologizing to some as low as me. You left me to search for you and I didn't even know you were a prince." Akashi said bitterly.

The blue haired boy looked down at the ground in shame, "I'm sorry, I should have told you."

"You shouldn't have met me." The redhead said. His vision blinded with rage. He knew he wasn't truly angry with Kuroko, he just needed an excuse to push royalty away, "I loved you and now I realize that I can't be with you. You made me believe that I would be happy with you. Look at us; I'm a mercenary and you're a prince. We can never be together."

The blue haired boy turned to look at Akashi, tears streaming down his face, "I love you, Sei-chan. I will never stop loving you. I know we were both young when we met but I **know** that I love you so don't try and tell me otherwise. Believe me when I say that I tried so hard to escape again. It's not easy to escape 500 guards, you know? I wanted to see you again and I wanted to tell you how much you mean to me."

Akashi felt sad when he saw Kuroko crying; he muttered, "Tell me now then…"

The prince smiled slightly and he said, "I was never able to go outside again and I was stuck in my room to study the royal family and other useless things. My father always pushed me to study more and told me that I was the heir. Through it all, I just needed to think about those few hours I spent with you to keep going. I kept telling myself that I would see you again and that I can find you if I became king." Kuroko took the crown off of his head and stared at it, "You have no idea how much the idea of ruling scares me. The weight of this crown on my head makes me want to hurl. Sei-chan, I want to stay with you. You make me feel free and because of that, I love you more and more with every day that I spend locked up in my room."

Akashi shook his head, "We can't…"

Kuroko held onto Akashi's hand firmly and said, "We can. Become my knight, Sei-chan. Your friends can become knights as well. If you agree, then I will make it happen."

The redhead wanted to feel more of Kuroko's warmth. He wanted to hug him and kiss him and never leave him. But as much as he wanted these things, he knew that he couldn't have them. He knew the difference between want and need. Akashi wanted Kuroko but he needed to let the blue haired boy rule without having any problems.

"Your highness, I can't accept this. It's time for us to stay separated by class, we are not meant to be together. We never were." Akashi said as he pulled his hand away from Kuroko. The redhead was ready to walk away but Kuroko held on.

"I don't care about that! I want you, Sei-chan…"

Suddenly, Kise came around the corner and said, "Akashicchi, there was some trouble within the castle and the king ordered for us to protect the prince and take him somewhere safe until we heard the castle bells chime."

The redhead sighed and drew his dual swords, "Alright, where are the other idiots?"

"They're on their way." The blonde said with a devilish smile as he drew his own sword and stood beside Akashi. Both of them surrounded Kuroko and looked for any kind of enemy. When the other mercenaries arrived, the blue haired boy said,

"Give me your boy and arrows, Sei-chan."

Akashi's group turned their heads at the nickname and laughed slightly. The redhead ignored them and handed Kuroko the bow and his quiver. Akashi's expression hardened and he ordered the group,

"Our mission is to keep the prince safe; we don't need to meddle with others. There are more guards who are protecting the king and the other guests. Our mission does not include those people, our priority is the prince. So stay focused! We'll move into the woods and towards my house. It's close by."

Aomine laughed as he drew his sword, "Alright, Akashi's house! I love your house; sleepover time~! Except, the prioritizing might be a problem; Kise's on top of my list, then it's the prince." The tanned boy winked at the blonde, causing him to blush and then bowed to the prince as an apology for prioritizing someone else above him. The group made their way into the forest cautiously and made sure to keep Kuroko surrounded.

A few horsemen became visible in the distance and they yelled, "Kill the heir!"

They came in at a blinding speed and Kise became worried at how silent their leader was, "Uh…Akashicchi, are you going to order us to do anything?"

"Hold this position." Akashi said to his group, his grip on the hilts of his swords tightened, "On my mark, you know what to do."

The group of mercenaries smiled and readied their weapons. The redhead faced Kuroko and said, "Your highness, I suggest you stay behind me."

"Oh, so now Sei-chan is also treating me like a porcelain doll?" Kuroko asked while crossing his arms.

Akashi sighed, "No, I'm not. I just don't want you to be hurt. If you get hurt, I get hurt. Now, stay behind me."

The blue haired boy blushed slightly and nodded his head, then he moved behind the redhead and waited for the horsemen to attack. When they got really close, Akashi yelled for them to attack. Each of the mercenaries laughed and killed the enemies. Akashi threw one of his swords and it knocked an enemy off of a horse. He quickly got on and helped Kuroko get on behind him. As Akashi guided the horse, Kuroko drew an arrow and shot the other enemies. The rest of the group took the remaining horses and they continued their trip to Akashi's house.

Aomine yawned, "That was too easy. Kise, you alright?"

The blonde hugged the tanned boy and pecked him on the cheek, "I'm doing perfectly fine."

Akashi looked back at Kuroko and mumbled, "Nice shot."

"Thanks." The blue haired boy said while wrapping his arms around Akashi's waist to not fall off the horse.

Once they got to Akashi's house, the mercenaries made themselves feel at home. The redhead led Kuroko to his room and said, "You can sleep here."

"Same bed we slept on seven years ago, huh?" The blue haired boy remarked. Akahsi took off his armor and quickly changed. When he pulled a t-shirt over his head, he noticed Kuroko staring at him,

"What?" Akashi asked, while picking up his dual swords.

"I was just thinking…"

The redhead looked out the window to check for any enemies and then asked, "About what?"

The blue haired boy sighed and said, "About nothing."

Akashi turned to face Kuroko and said, "You're good at catching my attention, you know that? Tell me what you were thinking about."

The prince lay down on the bed and motioned for Akashi to move closer. The redhead complied and took a step towards the blue haired boy. Kuroko pulled Akashi's hand sp that the redhead fell on top of him.

"Your highness, let go of me."

Kuroko held onto the redhead tighter and whispered in Akashi's ear, "Sei-chan, I was thinking about how beautiful you look."

The redhead felt his face rise in temperature as he struggled against Kuroko's embrace. The prince brushed the bright red hair with his fingers and said,

"Go to sleep. It's alright, you need some rest. You looked tired for the whole day."

Akashi had to admit that Kuroko was right, he was definitely tired from working and he just wanted to sleep in the safety of Kuroko's arms. The redhead closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the blue haired boy's chest. Kuroko's heart was beating fast and Akashi instantly fell asleep.

The blue haired boy held the redhead's hand and whispered, "Just like that time seven years ago…"

The prince kissed his forehead and then left the room to see how the rest of the group was doing. Kise smiled and said,

"So…You're the Kuroko Tetsuya that Akashi has been talking about for the past five years. He searched everywhere for you and by everywhere, I mean **everywhere**. I remember this one time, we got him drunk for the first time and he started looking for you under rocks."

Kuroko had a sad expression on his face and asked, "Sei-chan started being a mercenary at the age of twelve?"

Midorima nodded while cleaning his daggers, "Right after his parents passed away, he came and found each of us and asked us if we would like to join him."

The blue haired boy sighed and sat down. Murasakibara asked curiously, "What's your relationship with Aka-chin?"

The prince flinched slightly at the question, but then he smiled as if he was remembering something happy, "Sei-chan saved me when I was thirteen. If I had never seen him in the forest, I would have never felt happiness, freedom and love. He pushes me away now, I guess it's because he understands the difference in our class. I still want to be with him though and I know he wants to be with me. He just doesn't want to do anything wrong that could possible put me in trouble and he's scared of trying."

The next morning, the group waited for the castle bells. Nothing happened. No bells were heard and the silence through the forest was deafening. A week passed and the bells finally rang.

When the group of mercenaries escorted Kuroko back to the castle, the king looked like the happiest person on the planet. He walked over to the group and said, "Please, I beg of all of you to become knights within our kingdom. I believe you'll serve us well."

Not being able to decline an offer from the king himself, Akashi reluctantly nodded and said, "I am honored by this offer and we will gladly accept it."

After the group became knights, the king called for Akashi and asked the redhead, "Will you please take care of Tetsuya for me? He seems to reject every guard and murder them, but you seem like a strong person who can control people easily. Please guard my son with your life."

Akashi nodded and thought, _Your son became is life when I was ten years old._

He slowly walked towards Kuroko's room and knocked gently. The prince swung the door open and held a knife to Akashi's throat.

"Oh, it's you. I thought you would be a knight or something." Kuroko said while lowering the knife.

Akashi grabbed the knife and tossed it aside, "I am your knight. Now, go to sleep."

The blue haired boy gaped at the redhead, he let Akashi walk passed him and watched him as he sat down on the couch.

"How the hell am I supposed to sleep with you just watching me from the couch?"

The redhead rested his head and closed his eyes, "You'll find a way."

Kuroko watched as Akashi fell asleep; the blue haired boy tossed and turned, not being able to get comfortable, so he walked over to Akashi and decided to wake him. The moment the blue haired boy touched Akashi, the redhead flinched awake and held a knife to Kuroko's throat. The blue haired boy held his breathe at the fierce look in Akashi's eyes that didn't hold any feelings of love. They were cold eyes that were small pools of blood.

Akashi dropped the knife in his hand and noticed that he had scared Kuroko. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to scare you like that. I just…think you're my enemy if you suddenly touch me when I'm vulnerable."

The blue haired boy still had his eyes wide open as he kept thinking of those cruel eyes that had looked at him. Kuroko's hands shook and Akashi tried his best to calm the prince down. The redhead gently wrapped his arms around Kuroko and whispered, "I'm sorry." To him over and over again.

Kuroko still couldn't believe that Akashi had such a dark looking side to him, but eventually he calmed down and fell asleep. The redhead sighed and carried the blue haired boy back to the bed.

A few months passed and Akashi continued to push Kuroko away. When they got their memories back through the tattoos on their backs, the redhead and the blue haired boy decided to stay away from each other no matter how much they wanted to be together.

A war broke out within the kingdom and the couple worked harder than ever to live. They didn't know how they were going to get a tattoo, since they weren't exactly in the right time period. Kuroko finally decided that they should just scar themselves, so Akashi made a thin yet deep cut with his dagger on the prince's back and the prince made a deep cut in Akashi's back.

When the war ended, Akashi dropped his swords and kissed Kuroko full on the lips. The blue haired boy was quick to respond and they both dropped everything to embrace each other. The whole kingdom watched them express their love and they accepted it since they were the happiest people in the kingdom and they didn't want to ruin their happiness.

Eventually Akashi died in battle with Kuroko by his side. Both of them fought until the end and they loved until the end.

"I'll see you in the next life, Tetsuya."

"You too, Seijuro."

Both of them whispered to each other while holding hands on the bloodied battle field.

**Author's Note:**

**Is it just me, or did I ramble a bit too much in this one? Well, whatever, I felt really…happy while writing this one. Maybe it's because I have a whole bunch of other chapters that will torture you guys. Heh. Heh.**

**See you in the next chapter.**


	9. Life 9

Kuroko hated the rain, he hated the humid air and the cold rain that made his clothes stick to his skin during the summer. What was worse was that he hated having to run back and forth for his boss to get some coffee.

_Just get the dang coffee yourself!_ He thought to himself while running down the street in the rain. Kuroko liked his boss, he was just easily irritated when it rained.

Despite the heat, Kuroko still had to wear a suit which he was itching to destroy. While running back to the department, he bumped into someone and they were both knocked over. The blue haired boy slowly got up and groaned at the spilt coffee and the fact that he was completely drenched, "I'm sorry." He said and he helped the other man up.

Red eyes stared into his blue ones and the man said, "I'm sorry too. You're completely soaked now."

"Well, you're soaked too." Kuroko said with a small smile.

The man had a refreshing tone that didn't seem to be like everyone else in the world that was dying to die and get rid of their routine. The man had red hair and those beautiful eyes that showed confidence.

"I'm Akashi Seijuro, at least let me lend you some clothes. My apartment is nearby."

Kuroko nodded and then said, "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, it's nice to meet you, though this isn't exactly the best first impression."

The blue haired boy and the redhead quickly ran to Akashi's apartment. The redhead let Kuroko use the shower while he looked for clothes he could wear. Akashi threw a pair of shorts and a t-shirt at Kuroko. The blue haired boy quickly changed and thanked the redhead, then he said,

"I should be going, my boss will get angry with me."

Akashi grabbed onto Kuroko's hand and said, "No, you'll be fine."

"What do you mean?" The blue haired boy asked, not understanding why a complete stranger was stopping him.

"What I mean is that I already called my father (your boss) and told him you would be late because of me. He won't get mad at you and I can tell you work for my father because you're wearing the department badge on your suit."

Kuroko stared long and hard at the redhead and noticed a few features that were similar, "I still have to go," Kuroko said, "it doesn't matter whether you're his son or not. A job is a job and I have a job to do. I'll bring the clothes back as soon as possible. Thank you."

The blue haired boy left and bought more coffee since he spilled the ones he bought before. When he got back to work, his boss smiled and said,

"I heard you met my son, I'm sorry if he was…weird."

Kuroko handed him the coffee and shook his head, "Not at all. He's a kind person and gave me his clothes to change into."

"Just watch out," Kuroko's boss said, "I swear, something is wrong with that child."

The blue haired boy assumed that his boss was just teasing him so he went back to work.

After a few days, Kuroko went to Akashi's apartment to give him back the borrowed clothing. The redhead smiled and invited the blue haired boy inside.

"What brings you here, Tetsuya?"

"Your clothes, what other reason do I have to be here? I washed them." The blue haired boy said. Instead of entering Akashi's apartment, he turned and mumbled, "Bye…"

The redhead didn't like the fact that Kuroko had just left but he didn't make a move to change his mind. The blue haired boy liked Akashi , but he didn't want to get any closer than necessary.

A few days after that, Kuroko was walking to a café to just sit and relax. He stared out the window and sighed. It was raining again. For once in his life, he just wanted the world to be quiet, it was too loud for him. Kuroko spotted Akashi walking past the coffee shop and for some reason, something must have possessed the blue haired boy because he got up and knocked on the window to get Akashi's attention. The redhead turned and peered into the café, then he smiled and ran inside.

"Hey Tetsuya! It's nice to see you again. This is the second chance meeting now."

"You too." Kuroko mumbled. Akashi looked at the blue haired boy curiously and asked,

"What's wrong? You seem really down."

The blue haired boy seemed to snap back to reality, "I just… have stuff on my mind. It's really loud, want to go somewhere else?"

Akashi knew there was something really off about Kuroko so he nodded and accompanied him to another location. They didn't make it far down the street. Kuroko stopped and felt as if the world had tilted to the side. He stumbled over his own feet and fainted.

Akashi dropped his umbrella and caught him before he met the ground and lightly put a hand to his forehead. He was burning up.

_Is it possible for someone to have a fever this high?_ The redhead thought as he carried Kuroko to his apartment. When Akashi gently put Kuroko on the bed, the blue haired boy curled up on the bed and mumbled in his sleep. The redhead listened closer and heard,

"Seijuro."

Akashi put a hand to his own forehead and winced, his head starting to hurt. In his memories, he saw Kuroko kissing him but the redhead knew that they had never kissed.

"Where are these memories coming from? I never did this…"

In one memory, he saw himself playing basketball so Akashi decided to pick up a ball and shoot it into the trash can. It went in perfectly. Akashi shot the ball over and over again, each time it went in without touching the sides. The redhead shook his head and whispered to himself, "I've never played basketball in my life…"

He looked over at Kuroko and remembered them going on dates, going to school together, meeting in a café, sharing a room, even fighting beside each other in some sort of war. Akashi suddenly felt scared; he didn't know what was happening. He didn't understand why he had so many memories of Kuroko, he didn't understand the sudden amount of education he never remembered getting.

"Seijuro…" The bleu haired boy mumbled again. Akashi took comfort in Kuroko and huddled close to him to try and calm down. Perhaps the blue haired boy also had some strange fragments of memories.

In the morning, the redhead woke up and remembered everything. Akashi turned over and looked at Kuroko's sleeping face; he smiled and nuzzles his forehead against the blue haired boy.

"Good morning, Tetsuya; it's nice to see you again." He whispered and then decided to wake him up.

Kuroko flinched awake and observed his surroundings, "Akashi-kun, why am I in your apartment?"

_He doesn't remember…_ Akashi thought to himself. The redhead quickly got up and said, "You passed out, so I brought you here to rest since I don't know where you live."

"Ah…" Kuroko mumbled while trying to remember if that actually happened, "Thank you for taking care of me. Is it possible for me to use your shower?"

Akashi nodded, "Of course, go ahead."

While Kuroko was in the shower, Akashi tried to think of ways to help the blue haired boy remember everything. First thing he did was take off his shirt and try to get Kuroko to see the tally marks. When the blue haired boy walked out, he saw Akashi without his shirt on lying face down on the bed.

"What…are you doing?" Kuroko asked while drying his hair with a towel. The redhead mumbled something into the pillow to try and make Kuroko move closer. When the blue haired boy saw the tally marks, he immediately asked,

"Where did you get those marks?"

"I had them ever since I was born." The redhead said as he looked up to meet Kuroko's gaze. The blue haired boy had a troubled expression, except he simply turned away and muttered an 'okay'. Akashi got up and thought about other ways.

"Tetsuya?"

"Hm?" Kuroko pulled a shirt over his body and turned to look at Akashi. The redhead smiled and said,

"I have to go to my father's office today, so I was wondering if you would like to escort me there."

"Why do I have to be your escort?" The blue haired boy asked.

"Because people want me dead so that the company doesn't have an heir." Akashi said.

Kuroko raised an eyebrow, "Don't you have a trained escort who knows what to do?"

"No." The redhead lied.

The blue haired boy grew suspicious, he had a feeling Akashi was up to something, "I think…I'll call your father to make sure I can be your escort."

"No!" Akashi yelled while panicking. He leaped from the bed and snatched the cellphone from Kuroko's hands, "He's…uh…in a meeting right now. Calling him wouldn't be good."

Kuroko sighed and then said, "Fine, I'll take you there. I'm not going to be much help though; I don't touch guns, they scare me."

Akashi smiled, "That's fine."

As they were talking, the redhead tried to take as many detours as possible. First, he went to a basketball court and then asked Kuroko, "Want to play basketball with those people over there?"

The blue haired boy laughed, "I've never picked up a basketball in my life."

"Just pass to me and we'll do fine." The redhead said. Kuroko sighed and followed Akashi to the court. They joined a game with a whole bunch of teenager and felt completely out of place, but the redhead teased,

"I bet you kids that my friend and I can beat all of you. 2 on 5."

The teenagers were irked by this challenge so they immediately accepted. Kuroko, on the other hand, didn't like where this was going, but he shrugged and just followed Akashi's pace. When the game started, Kuroko noticed that nobody actually paid attention to him, so he easily made a pass to Akashi which let the redhead score. This continued for every shot they made and the opposing team never got a basket. When the game was over, Akashi gave Kuroko a high five and asked,

"Wasn't that fun?"

The blue haired boy looked down at his hands, as if remember what the basketball felt like when it tapped against his hand. Kuroko smiled, "…Yeah…"

The two continued to walk to work and Akashi continued to make pointless detours. The blue haired boy noticed the multiple detours but for some reason, he made no move to stop Akashi. Instead, he found that he was enjoying himself. Kuroko reached out for the redhead's hand. When their fingers touched, Kuroko hastily pulled away and looked off to the side. The redhead pretended not to notice the action but he smiled to himself and continued to walk. They finally got to a shooting range.

Most people were using guns, but Akashi silently handed Kuroko a bow and arrow. The blue haired boy looked confused so the redhead explained what he wanted him to do,

"I want you to shoot three arrows at that target over there." Akashi pointed to a target that was about three hundred metres away.

"Akashi-kun, this is ridiculous, I've never picked up a bow before and I've never shot an arrow either." Kuroko said while looking down at the weapon in his hands.

"Says the person who said he never picked up a basketball before. You'll be fine, just do what you feel is right."

The blue haired boy shrugged and pulled the arrow back, his form was perfect. When Kuroko shot the arrow, it flew in a perfect arc and it was embedded into the middle of the target. He shot the other two, which fell snugly into the middle. Kuroko was having fun, he didn't know he had any skill in basketball or archery. He looked at Akashi and noticed that there was a sad expression on his face, as if the redhead had failed at achieving something.

"Akashi-kun, what's wrong?" Kuroko asked.

The redhead shook his head and pulled Kuroko by the wrist to another location. The blue haired boy was able to feel Akashi's disappointment but he didn't believe it was towards him, but more like Akashi was disappointed in himself. The redhead dragged Kuroko to an alley and pinned him to the brick wall,

"Tetsuya…I think I might have fallen for you." He whispered.

The blue haired boy's eyes widened and his face became red, "I…uh…I-I…I don't know what to say."

Akashi smiled slightly, "That's fine. Don't talk; just feel."

The redhead leaned in and kissed Kuroko on the lips. The blue haired boy stood still, not sure how to respond, but when he felt Akashi licking at his bottom lip, Kuroko let the redhead's tongue explore his mouth. Akashi pressed his chest against Kuroko's to keep him pinned tot eh wall and deepened the kiss. Kuroko did his best to kiss back, but the overwhelming feelings kept him holding onto Akashi's sleeve in a desperate attempt to stay standing. Eventually, their lips parted to breathe in oxygen and Kuroko panted,

"S-Seijuro?"

"What?" Akashi asked while impatiently kissing down the blue haired boy's neck and leaving his mark to claim Kuroko as his.

"I remember something…Reincarnation, right?" The blue haired boy asked while threading his fingers into the red hair in front of him. Akashi bit Kuroko's collarbone and mumbled a small 'yes'.

When the redhead pulled away, he asked, "Do you remember everything?"

Kuroko slowly shook his head, "Just pieces…"

Akashi hugged the blue haired boy tightly and said, "You'll remember eventually."

Kuroko nodded and held onto the redhead as if he was life itself. They walked to Akashi's father's office after a while and the redhead went to discuss things.

The blue haired boy sat on a couch and tried his best to remember more but nothing came to him.

Akashi and Kuroko started to live together in an apartment and the blue haired boy slowly regained his memories as time passed. One night, when they were lying down together, Kuroko said,

"Who knew we would meet on the street by chance?"

"I know. If we didn't run into each other, we would've walked past each other without knowing." Akashi muttered, "But I guess that's the power of fate."

The blue haired boy kissed Akashi lightly and said, "We still haven't gotten our ninth tattoo."

A smile grew on the redhead's face, "Tomorrow. We'll get it tomorrow."

The next day, the first thing they did was get their tattoo. They spent their years together, just hanging around the house and going to work. The couple finally decided to make a bank account where they can store their money for each lifetime.

"This way we won't have to work when we get our memories back and we can just spend out remaining time together instead of working." Akashi said.

Kuroko nodded and they both stored their money into one bank account. As long as they knew the password, it didn't matter who they were or how old they were.

This time, Akashi passed away first and a few years later, so did Kuroko.

**Author's Note:**

**I guess there's some confusion about the time thing that happened in the previous chapter. For me (in this fanfiction at least), I made it so that reincarnation can cross through time periods, for the sake of ideas. I hope this is understandable because 100 chapters in the same time period or a future time period is hard.**

**Also, I apologize if this isn't one of my best chapters, I've been pretty depressed lately (family problems) and I just really wanted to write a bit. I promise you better chapters in the future, please excuse this one if you didn't like it as much.**

**See you in the next chapter.**


	10. Life 10

"Crapping coconuts on a car with caramel covered in chocolate…" Kuroko muttered to himself while running with a bag over his shoulder. Several lights shone behind him and they were approaching quickly. The blue haired boy tripped and cut his legs on multiple branches, "Shitting sharks on the shore by the sand with sinful sorrows." He cursed strangely as he stood up and continued to run.

His life depended on it, he needed to escape. Two loud explosions were heard and Kuroko suddenly felt pain in his right shoulder and left thigh.

"Fuck the frivolous fuchsia flowers!" He yelled as he limped towards anywhere that could hide him. Kuroko didn't know why he tended to curse with words that started with the same letter, he just did it to express his large amount of pain.

The blue haired boy reached an opening and saw a mansion. The lights behind him were getting closer so Kuroko climbed up the wall of the mansion and into a room with an open window. When he fell into the room with a small thud, he gasped for air and checked his wounds. Blood poured from his shoulder and leg. The smell of his own blood filled the room, creating a pungent odor. Kuroko groaned as he ripped his clothing to wrap the cloth around his wounds. That was when he looked to the side and saw a boy who seemed slightly older than him staring at him from the bed in the darkness.

The two of them stared at each other in shock. Kuroko's blue eyes pierced through the darkness but the other's person's mismatched eyes seemed to burn through the darkness. The crimson eye and the golden eye stared straight at Kuroko. The blue haired boy heard a loud knock on the door and he immediately tried to get up, only to fall over from a headache growing due to the loss of blood. Kuroko squirmed on the ground, desperate to get away. The stranger quickly got up and pushed him under the bed and covered him with a blanket.

"Police! Open the door!" The voice boomed from the other side.

"Give me a second!" The stranger called out.

The boy quickly threw things onto the floor to cover the blood and made sure his own hands were clean. Then he swung the door open and let the police inside. Adrenaline rushed through Kuroko's veins to feel the police so close, but he did his best not to move an inch.

The police strolled around the room for a while and then one of them asked the stranger, "Boy, why is your room so messy?"

"What are you going to do? Arrest me? You know, I kind of like sleep and you ruined it for me, so if you would kindly leave, I would love that." The stranger said boldly.

The policemen silently left and apologized for the ruckus. When they were gone for sure, the boy helped Kuroko out from under the bed. But the blue haired boy was already unconscious.

When Kuroko woke up, he jolted awake and tried to stand up. The blue haired boy hissed in pain and muttered under his breath, "Jumping jellybeans in a jail with juice."

He looked around and saw the same stranger from yesterday, staring at him. Kuroko and the boy locked eyes again, it was as if both of them couldn't look away. Then the blue haired boy tried to make a run for the window. The stranger lightly pushed him back onto the bed and said,

"Where do you think you're going with those wounds? You'll tear something, so just lie back and don't move."

The blue haired boy whimpered in pain from moving a bit too much and he let the stranger tuck him in.

"I'm Akashi Seijuro. I'm nineteen years old. What about you?" The redhead asked.

The blue haired boy curled up and refused to talk. Akashi sighed and got up. When he was moving towards the door, Kuroko's attention turned to the redhead. Akashi chuckled as if he was able to hear the blue haired boy's thoughts,

"Nobody else knows you're here. The maids aren't allowed in my room and my mother isn't either. I'm just going to get you some water and I also have to pull those bullets out of you."

Kuroko waited for what seemed like forever and when the door opened, he almost thought he'd die from panicking. Akashi walked in and handed the blue haired boy a cup of water. Kuroko observed the liquid and smelled it to make sure. Then he handed it back to Akashi without drinking it.

"I'm not going to drug you, it's safe." The redhead mumbled and handed it back. But Kuroko just continued to hand it back to Akashi. Finally understanding what the blue haired boy meant, the redhead brought the cup to his lips and drank a bit of the water for Kuroko to see. When nothing happened to Akashi, Kuroko drank the whole cup in a few seconds. The redhead smiled at the blue haired boy and then tried to position him so that it would be easier to take out the bullets. But when Akashi's hands approached Kuroko, the blue haired boy flinched away.

"I need to take the bullets out of your wounds or you're have a hard time functioning properly again." The redhead explained and then saw that the blue haired boy was trying to get comfortable without Akashi's help.

Finally, Kuroko gave Akashi a slight nod and shut his eyes tightly. The redhead lightly removed the bandages wrapped around his thigh and then brought out a pair of tweezers.

"I'm sorry about the pain that follows these actions." Akashi said and he plunged the tweezers into the hole into Kuroko's leg.

The blue haired boy's eyes flew open and he let out a silent scream, he gripped the bed sheets and tried his best not to move. When Akashi pulled the bullet out, Kuroko relaxed his tense muscles and panted.

The redhead cleaned the wound with care and wrapped it in new bandages, then he moved to Kuroko's shoulder. The blue haired boy seemed to panic more and more as Akashi unwrapped the bandage on his shoulder. His blue eyes darted towards the redhead to lock his gaze with Akashi's and the redhead was able to see the amount of fear in them. He tried his best to reassure Kuroko before he poked around for the bullet. The blue haired boy's eyes filled with tears and they poured down his cheeks, but he made no sound. Kuroko grabbed Akashi's sleeve and grit his teeth. When Akashi pulled out, Kuroko let out a deep sigh and his grip loosened on the redhead's shirt.

He watched Akashi bandage his shoulder and then leave with the first aid kit. When the redhead came back, he had a tray of food for Kuroko. Akashi made sure to sample all the food for Kuroko before the blue haired boy determined it was safe and when the injured boy was eating a bit too fast, Akashi lightly put a hand on top of Kuroko's and said,

"Slow down, it's alright. You have all the time in the world. I'm not going anywhere and no one is going to take you away."

Kuroko swallowed thickly and felt a tear trickle down his cheek in happiness since Akashi showed him non-stop love. He opened his mouth to talk and then quickly shut It, not trusting the redhead fully yet. Akashi sighed and let the blue haired boy finish his meal, the he cleaned up and tried to get Kuroko out of the bed.

"I'm not going to do anything; I'm just going to help you take a bath." The redhead said while moving closer to the blue haired boy.

Kuroko moved away from Akashi and ended up cornering himself on the bed. The blue haired boy shook his head frantically to try and get the redhead to back off. His heart started racing and he was gasping for air, as if Akashi was going to hurt him. Akashi stopped approaching Kuroko and realized that he was scaring the blue haired boy. The redhead put his hand out for Kuroko and waited for the blue haired boy to respond in some way. Kuroko hid his face under the covers to try and stay away from Akashi, but eventually, curiosity got the better of him and he peeked out to see Akashi's hand in front of him.

_This is a trick. He's going to turn me in. he's going to betray me. Hurt him…Get him away from you. _The blue haired boy thought. So he ended up biting Akashi's fingers and letting out a small growl.

The redhead didn't pull his hand away, instead he smiled and said, "Now, now, no need to act so ferocious. I can tell you don't want to hurt me, you're nibbling on my fingers, not biting them."

At that, Kuroko bit down a bit harder and Akashi leaned forward to look into the blue haired boy's eyes, "Now you're biting harder because you want to prove me wrong, right?"

Kuroko's eyes widened and he pulled away to curl up on the bed. _Just ignore him._ He thought to himself.

Akashi looked at his fingers where there was a faint bite mark, but otherwise, it didn't sting or hurt. When night fell, the redhead made sure that the blue haired boy was sleeping. Akashi lightly poked Kuroko to see if he would wake up and when he got no response, he slid an arm under the blue haired boy's legs and an arm around his shoulder. When the redhead picked Kuroko up, he was surprisingly light and the blue haired boy seemed to naturally curl into Akashi's chest. The redhead already filled up the bathtub with hot water and he knew that taking off Kuroko's clothes now would definitely wake him. So, Akashi just put the blue haired boy in the water with all his clothes on.

Kuroko woke up and yelped; it was the first sound that Akashi had heard other than small whimpers and that one growl. The blue haired boy looked up at Akashi with eyes that said 'you betrayed me'.

The redhead quickly peeled off Kuroko's clothes and rolled up his own sleeves, "I didn't betray you, if that's what you're thinking. You need to take a bath, I don't care how much you're going to hate me for this. I'm taking care of you and you should listen to what I'm saying."

Akashi proceeded to strip Kuroko of every other article of clothing, while the blue haired boy clawed at his arms. The redhead took a glob of shampoo and rubbed it into Kuroko's hair. At that feeling, the blue haired boy calmed down and relaxed in the tub of water. Akashi massaged Kuroko's scalp and listened to him hum in happiness.

"You know, I heard you talk before. Why won't you use your voice with me around?" Akashi asked while washing the soap away.

The blue haired boy shot daggers at the redhead and pouted. Akashi chuckled and lathered up Kuroko's pale skin. The blue haired boy began to hum again in appreciation and he leaned into Akashi's touch like an animal.

"Come one, say something for me. I still don't' know your name. What am I supposed to call you?" The redhead asked.

Kuroko stayed silent and then Akashi carried him out of the bathtub and wrapped him in a towel. The redhead rewrapped the bandages and then gave him some of his clothes to wear. While Akashi rubbed Kuroko's hair with a fluffy towel, he heard the blue haired boy mumble something. The redhead stopped and leaned closer,

"What?" He asked.

The blue haired boy daringly wrapped his arms around Akashi's neck and nuzzled his face into his chest, "T-Thank you…Akashi-kun."

The redhead smiled and blushed slightly, "You're welcome."

Akashi carried the blue haired boy back to the bed and tucked him in. The redhead was going to lie down on the couch but he heard Kuroko mumble, "Sleep…Beside me?"

Akashi gave a slight nod and crawled into the sheets beside the blue haired boy. Kuroko turned to face Akashi and he moved in between the redhead's arms to nuzzle into his chest. The blue haired boy was able to hear the rapid beating of Akashi's heart and he said,

"Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Kuroko Tetsuya?" Akashi asked.

The blue haired boy looked up, slightly annoyed, "My name…is Kuroko Tetsuya."

The redhead smiled and said, "Ah, I see. How old are you, Tetsuya?"

"Seventeen." Kuroko mumbled and blushed when Akashi used his first name. Then the blue haired boy said, "You should hate me…I'm a thief. I live to steal from others."

"I don't hate you. You steal to survive and besides, I took a look at the stuff that you stole before throwing it out. They're things that people wouldn't miss even if they were gone. You take what you need and nothing else. That's very hard to do when you're trying hard to make a living."

"You should still hate me." Kuroko spat out and then he turned his back to Akashi. The redhead wrapped his arms around Kuroko's waist and bit the back of his neck.

"What the…? Akashi-kun, what did you just do?" The blue haired boy asked curiously. The redhead brushed a finger over the mark he left,

"I bit you since you bit me earlier."

Kuroko blushed again and tried to sleep. "Whatever." He mumbled as he closed his eyes.

The next morning, the blue haired boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes and turned over. His shoulder and thigh were really sore, but he supposed that was to be expected. When Kuroko noticed that Akashi wasn't beside him, he quickly got up and looked around. The blue haired boy waited impatiently, his body growing restless. Kuroko was ready to leave the redhead's room and search for him, but Akashi walked in a second later with breakfast.

"Oh Tetsuya, you're awake. Good morning, I brought some breakf-"

The redhead never finished his sentence because Kuroko tackled him with a hug.

"You weren't there when I woke up." He said into Akashi's shirt, wanting to show more affection towards the redhead.

The redhead put down the breakfast on the nearest table, "I'm sorry, I didn't think you would have woken up."

Kuroko tightened his embrace, "I thought you left me."

Akashi chuckled lightly, "Tetsuya…I live here. There's no way I could leave you even if I wanted to. Now then, shall we have breakfast?"

The blue haired boy gently nodded but continued to hold on to Akashi's shirt. The redhead slowly brought Kuroko over to the table and sat him down on a chair. When Kuroko refused to let go of Akashi, the redhead sighed and decided to let the blue haired boy sit on his lap. They ate breakfast together and Kuroko let the redhead change his bandages.

Time passed and Kuroko began to heal little by little. He lived under Akashi's care and made sure not to cause any trouble. The redhead would usually leave for a few hours during the day and then come back exhausted. Akashi said that he had work to do so Kuroko was left alone to sleep or sit at the redhead's desk.

Both of them got closer to each other and they knew that this feeling was love. Kuroko was the first to express his feelings. He was observing Akashi as the redhead sat at his desk studying and he said, "Akashi-kun, why does my heart hurt when I look at you? It's not a pain, but it's more like my chest aches whenever I see you and it's like something knocks the air out of me."

The redhead looked flustered but he answered the blue haired boy truthfully, "That's the feeling called love."

"Love?" Kuroko asked while tilting his head to the side. Akashi lightly wished he could slam his head against his desk, but he calmly said,

"Love is a feeling you get when you feel affection towards someone and you want to know them better and be with them."

"Oh." Kuroko muttered, then he grinned and said, "I love you, Akashi-kun!"

The redhead blushed and seemed flabbergasted, "I-idiot, save it for someone special."

"You **are** someone special; you saved my life and took care of me." The blue haired boy said. Living on the streets ever since he was six didn't do him well with education, but he still understood many things.

Akashi grabbed Kuroko's hand and tried to explain, "By someone special, I mean someone you want to be with forever. Someone you want to kiss and hold in your arms. Someone who makes you feel whole."

"That's you." Kuroko said, still not understanding what Akashi was trying to say. The redhead sighed and asked,

"It doesn't bother you that we're both male?"

The blue haired boy shook his head, "Nope. I don't really care. I love you."

The redhead smiled and then pulled Kuroko closer, "So you won't mind if I act on my own, would you? I'm not going to hurt you. I think you'll like it."

The blue haired boy nodded his head and let Akashi do what he wanted to do. The redhead stared into those blue eyes and said, "Close your eyes."

Kuroko was hesitant at first but he trusted Akashi enough to close his eyes for a while. They were both silent, the only thing that was able to be heard was their breathing. Akashi looked long and hard at Kuroko's lips, thinking about whether he should or shouldn't. Finally, he threw all his logic out the window and kiss Kuroko.

The blue haired boy kept his eyes closed and felt his face heat up at the sensation of Akashi's lips pressed against his own. When the redhead pulled away, Kuroko's eyes fluttered open and he muttered against Akashi's lips, "You kissed me."

"…Uh…Yeah." Akahsi muttered and then lightly planted another kiss on Kuroko's lips, "I love you too, Tetsuya."

When Kuroko felt those lips press against his own again, the blue haired boy early kissed back, wanting more of Akashi. The redhead wrapped his arms around Kuroko and kissed him harder. The two of them kissed until they were breathless and then Akashi held Kuroko until he fell asleep.

As time continued to pass, Akashi's mother was the first to notice something different about her son. He had started to pull away from the family and would only spend time in his room. The redhead's mother couldn't live without knowing what was in Akashi's room that made him so distracted, so when the redhead went out, his mother called the police in to check the room.

Kuroko was curled up on the bed, his face buried into the warmth of one of Akashi's shirts. He fell asleep and cradled the clothing close to him. The blue haired boy flinched awake when he heard the lock on the door click.

_Did Akashi-kun come home early?_

Kuroko looked up and then felt a wave of uneasiness wash over him. He quickly got up and crawled under the bed. After years of stealing from people's houses and never getting caught, Kuroko learned to never doubt his instincts. The door swung open with a bam as it hit the wall. Heavy footsteps entered the room and Kuroko instantly knew who they belonged to.

_Police…_ He thought to himself and he did his best to stay quiet. The blue haired boy cautiously watched those black boots stop in front of the bed and then they paced towards the desk. Kuroko stiffened when he heard the police officer said,

"I can hear you breathing. I can hear your heart which is trying to leap out of your chest."

Suddenly, the policeman was face to face with Kuroko. Blue eyes widened in fear and he tried to push himself deeper under the bed, but the man grabbed him and dragged him out. The blue haired boy screamed for the one thing that was always on his mind,

"Akashi-kun!"

He struggled against the obviously more well-built man and then he yelled out in pain when his shoulder was pressed into the policeman's tight grip. Kuroko's wound was torn open and it started bleeding again. The policeman tried his best to turn the blue haired boy over, but he had some trouble since Kuroko was lashing out at him. The man used Kuroko's wounds to his advantage and he kicked the blue haired boy's weaker thigh and squeezed his shoulder.

Kuroko fell to the ground hopelessly and went limp. He stared at the cold wooden floor and felt his hands being handcuffed behind his back.

The policeman turned him around and asked, "What's your name, boy?"

The blue haired boy's eyes were cold and filled with disgust. They bravely stared straight at the policeman. Kuroko spat in his face and for that, he received a punch to the face.

"What's your relationship with Akashi Seijuro, the owner of this room?"

The blue haired boy laughed slightly, "That's none of your business."

Another punch hit him straight across the face and then he was dragged out of Akashi's room and into the hallway. The questions came over and over again, after each one Kuroko received a punch. His blood trailed down the hallway and the blue haired boy muttered,

"I'm sorry."

"What?!" The policeman yelled.

Kuroko looked around and locked eyes with a woman with red eyes who was evidently Akashi's mother, then he repeated himself, "I'm sorry for trailing blood. I hope you can forgive me for these injuries and for dirtying your home."

Akashi's mother had tears in her eyes from seeing the child get beaten. She only wanted to know if anyone was in the room, she didn't need that person to be beat up and killed on her doorstep.

Kuroko passed out and was dragged out of the house. Akashi came home at that moment and yelled, "What is going on?! Let go of him now!"

The policeman stopped and looked at Akashi, "Who is this boy to you?"

The redhead motioned for the handcuff keys and set Kuroko's hands free. The blue haired boy groaned and curled up in pain. Akashi slowly picked him up and angrily said,

"He's my boyfriend and he lives with me. What's so wrong about that?"

The policeman shook his head, "He is a thief. He's been stealing ever since you first went to school."

"Do you have proof? Anything that shows he stole something or that he was ever caught in a house?" Akashi demanded, knowing that Kuroko was never caught due to his lack of presence.

The policeman was at a loss of words. He slowly shook his head and then silently left after that, not wanting to embarrass himself more.

Akashi walked into the house and said, "Send a first aid kit to my room."

"Young man, are you out of your mind?! Get that boy back here right now!" His mother yelled, then she took out her phone and called for someone. Akashi reluctantly put Kuroko down on the couch, not knowing what his mother was planning. Akashi's mother smiled gently and said,

"I think it would be for the best if you explained what is going on. I called for a few doctors; his wounds seem very serious."

Akashi sat down on the couch with Kuroko's head lightly placed on his lap. He brushed his blue hair with his fingers and waited for his mother to say something.

"Who is he?" His mother asked.

"His name is Kuroko Tetsuya and he's seventeen years old." Akashi answered truthfully, knowing that there was no point in lying to his mother.

"Does Kuroko-kun have parents of a guardian?"

"No. His parents passed away when he was five and then he was thrown out into the world with no one to care for him."

Akashi's mother seemed to have a hard time staying calm. She felt as if she had developed a soft spot for Kuroko within a small amount of time, "His…occupation?" She asked.

"He's a thief…" Akashi said. He didn't want to say too much about the blue haired boy since Kuroko would feel betrayed, but he had to make his mother understand the situation.

Akashi's mother sighed and asked, "What did you mean by him being your boyfriend?"

The redhead closed his eyes and took a deep breathe, _The moment of truth…_ He thought to himself and then he said,

"I've been taking care of him for a few months and over that time, he has never left my room. He waited patiently for me to come home and would keep me company. When we first met, he did his best to reject me and he even bit me, but we grew to love each other. He told me that he loved me and that I was his special person, probably because I was someone who showed him love and care ever since his parents passed away. I love him because he makes me feel special and he will always hold a place in my heart. He's someone I won't stop caring about and if you take him away from me, I'll leave to find him, no matter where he is."

"Take him away? Seijuro, he can stay. He seemed to love you just as much. You know, the first thing he screamed was your name and he was crying and struggling as if leaving would kill him. I don't care about him being a boy. Love can happen to anyone and between everyone." His mother said and then got up, "Please introduce him to me properly when he wakes. I'll set up another bed in your room for him."

When the doctors came, they started to remove the bandages, but Kuroko snapped awake and tried to pull away. He yelled for Akashi and the redhead came running. He held onto the blue haired boy and whispered that everything was alright.

Eventually, Kuroko calmed down and let the doctors touch him, but he never left Akashi's side. When they were done stitching up Kuroko's injuries, the redhead slowly carried the tired boy to his room and placed him on the bed. Kuroko woke up in the middle of the night and noticed that he was on a separate bed than Akashi, so he limped over and curled up beside him. The redhead pulled Kuroko closer and slowly dragged his hand up and down Kuroko's sides, then he said,

"I love you."

The blue haired boy let out a noise and hugged Akashi tightly to show his happiness. The redhead smiled and said, "You could say it too, you know."

"Mm….no." Kuroko muttered into Akashi's chest. The redhead pulled away and looked down at the blue haired boy's face. Kuroko leaned up and kissed Akashi slowly.

The redhead was quick to respond and then he pushed himself off the bed so that he was on top of Kuroko, balancing on his elbows. Akashi pressed his body down lightly so that he wouldn't crush the blue haired boy and they're mouths moved in perfect sync. The redhead licked at Kuroko's pulse and sucked on the skin. The blue haired boy held onto the redhead's shirt and tilted his head to the side so that Akashi had better access. Kuroko moaned as Akashi continued to attack at his neck which was the most vulnerable and sensitive point for the blue haired boy. When the redhead spoke again, his voice came out low and raspy,

"The rooms are soundproof, so don't be afraid to scream if you need to."

Kuroko's face turned bright red at that, but he nodded and said, "Make me scream then. We'll see if these walls are actually soundproof."

The next morning, Kuroko woke up and turned to his side to see Akashi's sleeping face. The blue haired boy giggled and poked the redhead's cheeks. Akashi woke up and bit Kuroko's finger.

"Good morning, Tetsuya."

"Good morning….Seijuro…" Kuroko muttered.

The two of them got up and pulled on some clothes. Kuroko continued to wear Akashi's clothes, but they fit him alright. Akashi took Kuroko's hand and pulled him out of the bedroom. The blue haired boy hesitated, but he took a small step out of the room and watched Akashi's reactions. The redhead smiled and motioned for him to continued, so Kuroko took another cautious step. Akashi slowly lead Kuroko downstairs where his mother was waiting and preparing breakfast.

"Good morning Seijuro and Kuroko-kun."

The blue haired boy bowed slightly, "G-good morning…My name is…K-Kuroko Tetsuya. It's nice to meet you."

Akashi laughed a bit at Kuroko's small attempt to making a good impression. The redhead sat beside the blue haired boy and made sure to sample small bits of food before giving it to Kuroko. Akashi's mother noticed this and asked,

"Why are you trying the food before giving it to Kuroko-kun?"

"Ah, sorry mom. He just doesn't eat because he thinks he might be drugged, so I sample it for him. I guess it became a habit now." Akashi said with a smile. Kuroko smiled down at his plate and continued to eat breakfast. Afterwards, the redhead brought Kuroko back upstairs and pinned him to the door.

"I guess the walls did their job well, I don't think my mother heard us last night." He said.

Kuroko lived in Akashi's mansion until he healed and then the redhead moved out into the city so that they would both be able to work and make a living together. During the summer, they would both visit the mansion and help Akashi's mother around the house. Kuroko didn't work for a long time, since he didn't have a good education, but when their memories returned after a few years, the blue haired boy had enough education to do any job.

Akashi and Kuroko accessed the bank account their made in the previous life to see if it worked and the money they stored before was still there. They both deposited small amounts of money each time they had the chance. They also went to get their tenth tattoo and then celebrated for spending ten lifetimes together.

"Seijuro, wake up."

"Hm? What is it, Tetsuya?"

Kuroko wrapped his arms around the redhead and embraced him tightly. "I love you more than anything. Even after ten lifetimes, I'll never get bored of you and I'll always continue to love you. Even after one hundred lifetimes, I'll still love you."

Akashi chuckled and kissed Kuroko's forehead, "Where is all this coming from? I love you too and there's no way I can get bored of someone like you."

The blue haired boy tried to sleep and he mumbled, "I just have a bad feeling about tomorrow."

The next day, when both of them were driving to the mansion to visit Akashi's mother, a car accident occurred and their car swiveled off of a bridge.

As the vehicle sank at a rapid pace, both of them not being able to get out, Akashi held onto Kuroko's hand tightly and repeated, "I love you." Over and over again.

Drowning was something both of them were terrified of. No air and no help; all they had was each other. As the water filled their lungs and it sucked the life out of them. They locked their lips together one last time before they both passed onto the next life.

**Author's Note:**

**This one pretty much wrote itself. No joke, I wouldn't move until I finished writing this one. I also really didn't want to kill them in this chapter either. I love waking up and reading reviews more than anything else in the world; you guys are such beautiful people. Also, thank you for understanding my rough week.**

**See you in the next chapter.**


	11. Life 11

Blood trickled down his fingertips. The cold air smelled like it had just rained. The moonlight shined on the red haired boy and his mismatched eyes glowed in the darkness. He watched as the body beneath him slowly had the life dissipate from it. The redhead smiled and started to giggle. The giggling quickly turned into laughing. The sounds rang through the city and then everything was silent.

"Ah…" Akashi recalled as he rubbed his fingertips on the cement walls. He lied back on his cold, hard bed and stared at the stone ceiling.

_I wonder how long it's been since I got here. More importantly, how long has it been since I killed? Or…how long has it been since I've felt any emotion? _Akashi thought to himself. He rolled onto his side and took a deep breathe; he didn't even know if it was day or night. All he knew was that he was caught and thrown into a prison cell for who knows how long? It didn't take long to get used to the prison; the redhead tended to make a very intimidating fist impression, so most of the other prisoners feared him yet admired him. Whatever Akashi said would happen.

_So why am I not using my pawns to escape? _The redhead thought. He knew that if he told his connections within the prison to let him escape, they would do it. But something kept telling Akashi to stay longer. Just a little bit longer.

Besides, if he left, he would have no idea where he is. They had blindfolded him before taking him to the prison, so finding his way back into the city would be impossible for him.

Akashi sat around in boredom day in and day out. All he did was stare at the ceiling and think about absolutely nothing. Even when the prisoners were left in a large room to socialize, Akashi remained alone. Having people around would only make the redhead on edge and he wouldn't be able to relax. Akashi was never relaxed either way though; he never slept peacefully, he was always tossing and turning, then he would wake up in cold sweat. He knew that eventually he would die in this prison.

One day, when Akashi came back from dinner, he noticed another bed in his cell which wasn't there before. The redhead called over Midorima, one of Akashi's personal guards, "Why the other bed, Shintaro?" He asked.

"Another prisoner is coming in today. He's probably someone you won't kill either."

"Oh?" Akashi said, taking that as a challenge, "Well, when is he arriving?"

Midorima pointed to a few guards coming their way with a blue haired prisoner, "He's right there."

The new prisoner had a slim figure that made him look weak and instantly his intelligent blue eyes darted from side to side, as if he was observing the premises. Then, he jumped over his handcuffs which were behind his back and broke the neck of the guard in front of him. The guard behind him was kicked off the side railing and he fell a few floors down. Alarms blared and Midorima went to take action. Akashi was mesmerized with the boy's actions and he watched him silently from his cell block. The blue haired boy was quick on his feet, he jumped down a floor and tried to make a run for it.

"Shoot him with a sedative!" Midorima yelled while chasing after the loose prisoner. The blue haired boy ran through the halls and killed multiple guards in search of the exit, then he got hit with a dart. He looked down at the dart protruding his leg and pulled it out. His vision became hazy and his body slowly grew tired. The blue haired boy fell to his knees and Midorima caught him before his face met the ground. Midorima swung the light body over his shoulder and brought him back to Akashi's cell.

The blue haired boy was thrown onto the bed and Midorima said, "There's you cell mate. He's the same age as you but a few months younger. His name is Kuroko Tetsuya."

The redhead chuckled slightly and then asked, "How many guards did you lose because of this one prisoner?"

"When we were trying to capture him in the city, we lost ten and we lost seven just now. So overall, we lost seventeen due to this prisoner. He should wake up tomorrow." Midorima said and then he locked the steel door.

Akashi glanced at Kuroko and waited until Midorima was out of ear-shot, then he said, "You're not sleeping are you?"

Those beautiful blue eyes fluttered open and Kuroko whispered, "No."

"You were hit though, right? With the sedative, I mean." Akashi asked, wanting to know more about the blue haired boy even though deep inside he knew it was a bad idea.

Kuroko sat up on the bed and pinched the bridge of his nose, he groaned slightly and then said, "Yeah, I was hit with one dart. I wouldn't say I'm completely immune to it, but it doesn't last for a long time. Just makes me a bit…disorientated."

"So why pretend to be unconscious?" The redhead asked. It was unlike him to be so interested in someone, but the questions just rolled off his tongue with no end.

"I just killed seven people, they wouldn't have been so nice if I were conscious. They probably would've beaten me. You can't do much to an unconscious man. Better to be beaten tomorrow than today." Kuroko said while leaning back on his bed, "So what's your name? You know mine is Kuroko Tetsuya. I only know that you're twenty-three since I heard we're the same age."

The redhead watched the blue haired boy carefully and said, "Akashi Seijuro. What are you in for?"

Kuroko suddenly went quiet at that question and he turned onto his side. He mumbled a 'goodnight' and tried to ignore those deep red eyes staring at him.

After a few minutes, Kuroko felt his bed dip to one side from added weight so he turned to see what was happening. The redhead was on top of him and he asked again, "What are you in for?"

"None of your business. Get off of me." Kuroko spat out while thrashing around, but Akashi had him pinned.

The redhead decided to speak first in an effort to get Kuroko to open up, "I was a serial killer. I used to cut them multiple times so that they would bleed out eventually."

"Funny stuff bro, but I'm not interested in sharing my back story with you or how I got here." Kuroko said and he lightly shoved the redhead off of him.

Akashi sighed and walked back to his own bed to go to sleep. In the middle of the night, the redhead jolted awake from a nightmare. He gasped for air and looked to his side to see Kuroko shivering on the bed. The redhead took his blanket, which he convinced Midorima into giving it to him and threw it over the blue haired boy's tiny body. Akashi stared up at the ceiling, trying to shake away his feelings from his nightmare. He listened to the calm breathing of Kuroko from across the room and fell asleep again.

In the morning, the alarms blared to wake all the prisoners. Akashi woke with a start again and he got up a bit too quickly because his vision went hazy for a minute. When he was able to focus again, he saw Kuroko staring at him from across the room. The blue haired boy was curled up in the blanket and he said, "Thank you…"

The redhead smiled gently, "No problem. If there's one thing you're never get used to, it's how cold it is during the evening. I haven't gotten used to it yet either and I've been here for a long time."

_Wait…_ Kuroko thought to himself, _Doesn't that mean he was freezing the entire night because he gave me his blanket? What a weird guy…_

Akashi heard the lock on the cell door open and MIdorima walked in, "Time for breakfast, get out."

The redhead scratched the back of his head and walked out, "Yeah, yeah, I'm moving." Then he looked at Tetsuya and motioned for him to follow. The blue haired boy shook his head and said,

"I think I'll stay here."

"You do realize that if you stay, your next meal will be at 2pm." Akashi said.

Kuroko nodded and smiled to reassure the worried redhead, "That's fine, I just want some time to think."

The redhead shrugged and followed Midorima to the tables. Akashi sat alone while eating breakfast, thinking about what the blue haired boy was doing. When he got back to his cell, Kuroko wasn't there. The redhead was tempted to ask the guards where his cellmate had gone, but he knew better than to bother any of the guards other than Midorima. Akashi waited patiently in his cell for Kuroko. Finally, when Midorima came around for his shift, the redhead asked,

"What happened to my cellmate?"

The guard just shrugged, "I'm sorry Akashi, but this is something I can't tell you. That boy possesses great knowledge and that knowledge is something we have to know."

Akashi thought about the hints that Midorima was giving him and came around to a conclusion, "So…you're torturing him?"

"Ah…" Midorima started, "Well if **I** were torturing him I wouldn't be here. I'll just say that some of the guards are intentionally hurting Kuroko to try and get that information. But, you didn't hear that from me, okay? I'm not supposed to be telling you any of this."

Akashi whispered a "thank you" for the information and went back to his bed. When it was lunch time, the redhead ate silently and observed the other prisoners. Then, he sat in a corner during their "play" time as Akashi liked to call it. He never considered it free time, since they were still prisoner, nothing about it was free. When the redhead returned to his cell, Kuroko still wasn't there. Akashi felt his chest growing heavy, it had been a long time since he talked to someone other than Midorima and having the blue haired boy disappear so quickly made Akashi miss him.

Akashi sat on his bed and noticed that Kuroko had folded the blanket for him and left it by his pillow. The redhead smiled and decided to read a book and wait just a bit longer.

After dinner, the redhead got sick of waiting,

_How long do they plan on torturing him?! He'll die at this rate. _Akashi thought. Midorima came around about an hour later and opened the cell door. The redhead jumped up and expected some sort of explanation, but instead two other guards dragged Kuroko into the cell. They dropped his limp body on the floor and left without a word.

Akashi swallowed thickly and went to help the blue haired boy. Kuroko was soaking wet and freezing cold. The redhead demanded for another blanket, "Shintaro, he's going to freeze at night! At least give me another blanket to wrap him in."

Midorima shook his head, "Sorry Akashi, I can't today. They're watching me. I got orders to leave both of you. Make do with what you have and I'll get back at you as soon as possible."

The redhead scoffed and quickly thought of how to get Kuroko warmed up. Akashi took the pillow case off of his own pillow and tried to dry the blue haired boy's hair. After, he took off his own shirt and peeled off Kuroko's wet shirt. The redhead also took off the blue haired boy's pants and wrapped him tightly in the blanket.

"Alright, he's dry." Akashi said to himself. The redhead put Kuroko on his bed and held him close. The blue haired boy mumbled something and curled into Akashi's warmth.

"I don't know anything…" Kuroko whispered, "I don't know…I don't…know…"

The redhead wrapped his arms around the blue haired boy more tightly and mumbled, "I know. It's alright if you don't know. It's okay."

Kuroko's tense body relaxed slowly at Akashi's voice and the two of them spent the long, cold night together.

In the middle of the night, Kuroko woke up and leaned his head to the side and bumped his head into Akashi's chest. The redhead seemed to be having a nightmare. There was a crease on his forehead and he flinched slightly from time to time. His breathing was unsteady and he mumbled, "I'm sorry…"

Kuroko reached his hand up to touch Akashi's cheek but when their skin touched, the redhead snapped awake. He grabbed onto Kuroko's wrists and pinned him down on the bed.

"What the—" The blue haired boy exclaimed when he saw Akashi's eyes. They weren't both red anymore; one of them now held a golden colour. The redhead's hands were suddenly wrapped around Kuroko's neck. The blue haired boy gasped as his airway was cut off. His nails scratched at Akashi's hands. Akashi giggled slightly and said,

"Shall we have some fun?"

Kuroko stared at the redhead's face in horror. Those mismatched eyes pierced through him. The blue haired boy felt wet droplets falling onto his cheeks and noticed that the tears were falling from Akashi's eyes. The blue haired boy held onto the redhead's wrist tightly and tried to speak,

"A-Akashi-ku…kun…it hurts…"

The redhead's eyes widened and he blinked rapidly. Kuroko watched carefully and saw that his eyes were both red again. Akashi gasped and quickly let go. He looked down at his hands and then back at Kuroko who was catching his breath.

"I'm…I'm so sorry…" The redhead said slowly, knowing that Kuroko would never accept him again whether he was sorry or not, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen."

Akashi stood up and went to lie down on his own bed, away from the blue haired boy. Kuroko was in a slight state of shock but he eventually let his fatigue pull him into another deep sleep.

In the morning, when the breakfast alarm rang, Kuroko noticed that Akashi wasn't in the cell. The blue haired boy left to eat for the first time since he got to the prison.

Kuroko sat alone and gave anyone an evil stare if they tried to approach him. When breakfast was over, he returned to his cell and heard two people yelling inside.

"Switch me out!" Kuroko was able to tell that that was Akashi's voice.

"I can't do that Akashi, you know I can't."

_His personal guard? _Kuroko guessed.

"I don't belong in a prison Shintaro, I belong in a mental institution. I almost killed him yesterday because he touched my cheek while I was sleeping!" Akashi exclaimed.

Kuroko peeking in and saw the redhead sitting on his bed and the guard standing beside him.

"But you didn't kill him…" Midorima said.

"I can't control **this**!" Akashi yelled while gesturing to himself.

The guard sighed and said, "I'll see what I can do. For now, just do whatever makes you comfortable. I suggest staying away from Kuroko if he triggers something inside you."

When Midorima left, Kuroko walked in cautiously and saw that Akashi was staring up at the ceiling. The redhead didn't say anything to Kuroko. Even if the blue haired boy asked a question or said, "good morning", Akashi simply ignored him.

The blue haired boy sighed and sat down, deciding on a new approach, "I'm here because I assassinated people."

Kuroko saw that Akashi's interest seemed to peak at that, so the blue haired boy continued, "It wasn't just anyone though. I was an assassin to kill important people. I stole filed from the army, from institutions and from the government. Then I hid those files so that nobody would find them. The guards here are trying to get that information out of me."

The redhead tried his best to stay silent but he ended up turning to face Kuroko and asked, "Why don't you just tell them?"

"Cause if I do then I'll have **them **chasing after me." Kuroko mumbled while hugging his knees close to his chest.

Akashi didn't understand any of it, but he figured that if Kuroko could tell the guards then he would. The blue haired boy smiled because he had Akashi's attention and Kuroko asked,

"So…about yesterday, what happened?"

The redhead's eyes widened in fear and he quickly turned away from the blue haired boy, "I'm sorry."

Kuroko got off of his bed and walked up to Akashi; the blue haired boy stood in front of the redhead, who was lying down and Kuroko threw himself on top of him.

"What are you—?!" Akashi exclaimed.

"Shut up! Just shut up for a second." The blue haired boy said while moving so that he was sitting on top of Akashi. The redhead waited for Kuroko to say something.

The blue haired boy straddled Akashi's hips and said, "I'm not exactly sure what happened last night, but I do know that you're afraid of it. I want you to explain to me what's going on so I can prepare myself if it happens again."

The redhead shook his head, "There's no way to prepare yourself. It happens when something is triggered and I just don't know what it is."

"Just tell me what happened then, Akashi-kun." The blue haired boy said in a soothing voice. Akashi did his best to avoid Kuroko's gaze and he explained, "I…uh…my mother said that it was a demon that possessed me during the night and hides during the day. She only meant it as a joke, but…I don't know, I found myself covered in blood one night and I couldn't tell what I did and when I looked at who I killed, it was my mother. It just happened. Eventually, I became aware of what I did during the night, but I can't stop it. I go out, kill someone and then I'm back to normal. When I first came to this prison, I killed my cellmate and I killed my next cellmate and the one after that. This is the first time I've been stopped…"

"I couldn't help but overhear earlier, but are you going to change cells because you don't want to kill me?" Kuroko asked.

"That's the plan." The redhead said. The blue haired boy didn't move, instead he blushed slightly and mumbled,

"I want you to stay."

Akashi chuckled, "Acting cute isn't going to get you anywhere."

"I'm not acting cute!" Kuroko exclaimed, "I meant it, I want you to stay. I was scared last night when you suddenly tried to choke me but it wasn't you who I was scared of; I guess it was the other you…I don't know. I just want **you** to be by my side and not someone else."

"…Fine." Akashi said, "But don't startle me, sometimes that can be a trigger. Last night was a perfect example of that. Now get off of me."

The blue haired boy had a devilish smiled on his face and he said, "One more favor."

Akashi groaned, "What?"

"Call me by my name. You haven't said it once yet." Kuroko said, "I called you by your name twice now, yet my name has never parted from those lips of yours."

Before Akashi said anything, the alarm for lunch rang and the redhead sat up so that Kuroko was sitting on his lap. Midorima can and unlocked the door, "Out." The guard muttered, ignoring the scene in front of him.

Kuroko refused to move but the redhead simply carried the blue haired boy out of the cell.

"Put me down." Kuroko said.

"Yeah Akashi, you're not allowed to do that. It's considered violence and assault. You can easily kill him by throwing him over that railing." Midorima said in a dull voice.

The redhead gently put Kuroko back onto his two feet and said, "I was just taking my Tetsuya out to the lunch tables."

"Who gave you permission to call me by my first name?! Also, don't you 'my Tetsuya' me; I don't belong to anyone." Kuroko said while hitting the redhead's shoulder playfully.

Midorima stopped them and said, "Kuroko will be coming with me."

Akashi's expression hardened when he heard those words leave Midorima's lips. Kuroko stiffened when he felt the guard's hand on his shoulder. The blue haired boy nodded and silently followed Midorima to another room.

Akashi ate by himself and ended up smashing his tray against the wall in frustration, "Please, just give them the information…" He muttered to himself, "I don't want to see you hurt."

The day passed slowly and when Kuroko was dragged back into the room in the evening, soaking wet again, Midorima handed Akashi two more blankets.

"Thank you, Shintaro." The redhead said as he began to undress Kuroko from his soaked clothing. When Akashi was taking off his own clothing to put it on the blue haired boy, Midorima said,

"He refused to talk today as well…But we told him that if he tells us the location of the files and we retrieve all of them we would set him free since we don't exactly have evidence of him killing anyone. Do you think he'll tell us now?"

"No. He's too stubborn for that. Even if he gets his freedom, he most likely won't tell you anything." Akashi said.

Midorima left the two of them and the lights in the prison were all turned off. The redhead embraced Kuroko to share body heat and the blue haired boy curled up against the warmth.

In the morning, the blue haired boy made sure not to make any sudden movements as he untangled himself from Akashi's arms. When the redhead woke up, he asked Kuroko,

"Are you going to tell them? You'll be free you know."

The blue haired boy shook his head no, "The files are probably gone."

Weeks passed and Kuroko always came back soaking wet from being dunked into a water tank over and over again. When Akashi couldn't take it anymore, he confronted Kuroko,

"Just tell them. You keep saying that the files are most likely not there anymore, well how would you know? Just take a chance! You can be free."

"It's doesn't matter…" The blue haired boy muttered.

Akashi scowled and threw Kuroko onto the bed, "Don't be stupid. You think I don't see you tense up whenever the guards come and get you? You're scared and yet you refuse to tell them because you **think** that the files aren't there anymore."

"So what if I'm scared!" Kuroko yelled, "You think I can be tortured without feeling anything? I don't tell them because even if I'm set free, they'll just kill me."

"Who's 'they'?" Akashi asked.

"The people who work with me. Actually, it's more like the people I work for."

When Kuroko tried to get up from the bed, Akashi quickly pinned him down again and said, "I'll protect you. I'll protect you from them."

"How could you if you're still in jail?" Kuroko demanded while struggling against the redhead's grasp. The redhead leaned down and kissed Kuroko on the lips. When he pulled away, Akashi muttered,

"I will protect you. Trust me, I'll escape. I have quite a few ties within this prison and not all of them are prisoners."

The blue haired boy was silent for a while and then he mumbled, "I'll tell them."

"Good." Akashi said and then he moved off of the blue haired boy. Kuroko grabbed the redhead by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. Akashi was stunned for a moment but he melted into the kiss and tilted the blue haired boy's chin towards him to deepen it. Their memories were jogged and both of them pulled away with a gasp. Suddenly, everything mattered; every second that went by was precious to them and they were determined to live and spend their lifetime at the fullest with each other.

The lock on the door clattered open and Midorima walked in, "It's time."

Kuroko slowly pulled away and told Midorima, "I'll only confess with Seijuro by my side."

The guard through for a moment and then said, "Sure. Both of you; out."

When the redhead passed Midorima, he whispered, "Notify Daiki, Atsushi and Routa that I will be leaving soon."

Midorima nodded and then guided them through the halls to another room.

Kuroko sat at a table while holding Akashi's hand and he said, "I belong to an organization in which I was trained to become an assassin. My boss was Kagami Taiga, he sent out all the orders. The files I took were given to Kagami and I never saw them again, however I do know the location is 34 degrees North and 41 degrees West. Have fun swimming."

The guards scowled and quickly sent out people to retrieve the files. Midorima took Akashi and Kuroko back to their cell and said, "If the files are found, you will be set free and Akashi will be sent to a mental institution since he wasn't sane while murdering those people."

The redhead smiled, "Thank you, Shintaro."

A few days later, Kuroko was set free. Before he left, Akashi said, "Tetsuya, once you get out of here, go straight to where we first met, okay? Wait for me there."

"Got it, Seijuro."

Having their memories back was more useful than anything, but they were afraid of parting for each other, even if it was going to be for a short time.

Once Kuroko left, Akashi got ready to leave as well. He was shoved into a car to be transferred to the mental institution. While traveling down the road, the redhead fiddled with his handcuffs using the key that Midorima had given him. When Akashi unlocked the handcuffs, he pretended they were still locked and waited around patiently.

The car stopped abruptly near the mental institution and a police officer approached the car, "Hello, I need you guys to step out of the car." The blonde officer said, "There has been a change in the system."

The guards looked at the blonde suspiciously and said, "Show me your badge."

A purple haired police officer appeared behind the blonde and said, "What's going on?"

Before the guards could respond, Akashi broke the driver's neck and let the blonde shoot the other guard in the passenger seat.

"Akashicchi! It's nice to see you again." The blonde said.

"Ryouta, good job. I'll buy you candy later."

"Aka-chin…I helped." The police officer beside Kise said.

Akashi smiled warmly and pat the tall officer's back, "I know Atsushi, I'll buy you snacks as well."

It wasn't long before other police officers noticed that something had happened. They chased after the group, but each of them were shot down from afar.

"I'll have to buy something for Daiki for being such a good shot." Akashi muttered to himself knowing that Aomine was perched on a rooftop with a sniper protecting them and guaranteeing their getaway. But first, before buying his friends some snack, he had to get to Kuroko who was waiting for him at Teiko. The redhead's group escorted Akashi to the school safely without anyone knowing.

"But…Akashicchi? Why are we coming here?" Kise asked while opening the rusted doors to the gym.

The redhead ran inside and looked around, "I came here to meet someone."

Kuroko ran out from the shadows and straight into Akashi's arms. "I missed you." The blue haired boy said.

"It's only been a few hours, Tetsuya." Akashi remarked.

Kuroko nuzzled his face into the redhead's neck, "I still missed you. 24/7 with you isn't enough for me, Seijuro."

Akashi smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around the blue haired boy, "Want to go get our tattoos?"

Kuroko nodded, "We'll have to move countries after that too because people are going to keep looking for us."

The blue haired boy greeted Akashi's group and then went on his way with redhead. When they got their eleventh tattoo, both of them decided to move to Spain and once they settled down in Spain, they didn't know what to do.

Kuroko was lying on the bed in Akashi's arms and he traced circles on the redhead's bare chest. The redhead laughed, "Tetsuya…that tickles."

"Oh? I never knew the great emperor was ticklish." The blue haired boy said and he continued to tickle the redhead. Akashi laughed and then rolled over so that he was on top of Kuroko.

"I love you so much, you know that right?" The redhead said.

Kuroko nodded and let Akashi shower him with small kisses. Both of them caught onto Spanish really quickly, so it wasn't hard to travel around Spain.

They spent every day together and both of them enjoyed every day as if it would be their last. Eventually, Kuroko passed away and left Akashi all alone to travel by himself and eat meals by himself. The redhead grew lonely without the bright blue haired boy beside him every day, but he knew he just had to wait. A few years later, Akashi passed away as well.

**Author's Note:**

**I'm actually done chapter 100 because I tend to write the ending and then fill in the blanks… I really want to show chapter 100 now but I still need to write 87 more chapters. I feel like I might be torturing myself. I really like the last chapter though, it made me cry. But I cry about everything, so don't assume it'll destroy your heart. **

**See you in the next chapter.**


	12. Life 12

"Starting today, I'm going to be your new homeroom teacher. My name is Akashi and I'm twenty one years old. Now, that may seem pretty young to all of you, however if I weren't smart, I wouldn't be a teacher at the age of twenty one. I moved to Japan from Spain and I look forward to teaching all of you."

During lunch, whispers were heard through the classroom. The girls blushed and giggled while talking about how cute Akashi looked, while the boys looked down on the redhead for being so young.

"Hell we're seventeen or eighteen. He's like three years older than us!" One of the guys whispered harshly.

A blue haired boy slammed his hand on the desk, causing the class to look at him, "Like Akashi-sensei said, if he weren't smart, he wouldn't be here. If that man is here at that young age, I'm sure he is at least twenty one times smarter and wiser than all of you, including myself."

The whispers died down at Kuroko's outburst, they knew better than to stand up against Kuroko Tetsuya.

The blue haired boy was a bright student, but his reputation was second to none. To the teachers, he was nothing but a sweet honor student but to the students, he was like the devil but also like a god. The blue haired boy wasn't exactly a bad person; many girls fell in love with him and would constantly confess, while many guys would also confess to him or envy him. Kuroko never seemed interested though. He held an aura of mystery and wouldn't tell anyone anything about himself since the day he transferred to the school. He also tended to disappear in the loudest situations, which confused the students as to why he would run away. The blue haired boy didn't like being popular or in the center of attention, he preferred quiet areas where he could focus. Noise was too much for Kuroko and he didn't handle loud situations very well. He was the type of person who got migraines whenever there was too much noise, leading to headaches and sometimes fainting. Even after his migraine passed, he would still be able to hear strange noises that weren't there. Most of the time, he would yell and make an outburst in hopes to make everyone be quiet. All of the time, it worked.

Kuroko sighed and closed his eyes to enjoy his lunch break in silence. The less noise, the better. His eyes snapped open when the bell rang and he watched Akashi walk into the classroom.

The redhead was calm and collected, he wasn't easily shaken by the students and their jokes about him being too young to teach. Akashi would simply shoot back an insult to make the student pay attention.

"Akashi-sensei, what do you think love looks like?" A girl asked suddenly.

The redhead took a deep breath, obviously irritated by the interruption and said, "Well, to me, it won't look like you."

The female student seemed hurt by this but Akashi continued, "That's only to me. Love is an emotion, if we were to give it an appearance, it would be of who you love because that's all we can associate it to. Or it would just be the colour red. I haven't fallen in love before so I don't' know what love would look like."

Even though sometimes Akashi's words were harsh, every sentence he spoke would teach a lesson, even if the lesson was something small like "shut up and pay attention to my class".

Kuroko found himself admiring the redhead with every day that passed. The blue haired boy wanted to be noticed more by his own teacher and Kuroko only noticed this when he caught himself staring at Akashi in the middle of class.

The blue haired boy's friend, Kagami, would always stay by his side to make sure he was there if things got too loud. Kuroko had fainted a few times from noisy events, so Kagami acted like a bodyguard. The taller of the two made sure to keep an eye on the blue haired boy.

One day, during lunch break, Kuroko was called out by two female students. The blue haired boy got up and followed them with Kagami close behind. In the field, another girl was waiting there. Her face was flushed red as she said, "Um…Kuroko-kun…I-uh, I really like you and I was wondering if you would go out with me!"

The blue haired boy showed no emotion for a second and then he smiled sadly, "I'm sorry…I can't return your feelings. I'm afraid I'm in love with someone else."

"Eh?" Kagami and the girl said in unison. It was rare for the blue haired boy to say he was interested in someone. Actually, it had never happened before.

Everyone in the school knew that there was no one who suited Kuroko and was able to match his taste. The girl didn't know what else to say, so she mumbled, "Oh…I see. I hope the two of you are happy."

"Actually…" Kuroko muttered, "We're not together. It's a really one-sided thing and it's hopeless. I…uh, I should get going now." The blue haired boy walked off without looking back at the girl and hoped that she wouldn't spread a rumor.

When Kuroko and Kagami got back to the classroom, the taller redhead asked, "Can I know who it is?"

"No." The blue haired boy said flatly and then flipped a book open to read.

Kagami leaned against the blue haired boy's desk and begged, "Please?"

Kuroko sighed at the sight of the redhead with puppy eyes and then closed his book and said, "Fine. But if you tell anyone, I will murder you with forks and knives."

Kagami chuckled at the blue haired boy's half-hearted threat, "Okay. Shoot."

"Our teacher."

"Akashi-sensei?" The redhead asked to confirm it. When Kuroko nodded, Kagami smiled and threw his arm around his best friend, "Man, you've got high standards. But you realize that it's…impossible. He's a teacher and you're a student."

"I know, but imagine what could happen after I graduate from his class. He won't be my teacher anymore and I'll be a university student." The blue haired boy said.

Kagami shrugged, "True. Well, class is going to start soon. Good luck with your little dilemma."

Kuroko thanks Kagami and then saw Akashi walk into the class. He taught math and then science before the day ended. Once the day was over, he smiled and said, "Have a nice day and remember, there's a test tomorrow."

On the way back home, Kuroko seemed to be troubled and his best friend knew exactly what the problem was, "Worried about Valentine's day?" Kagami asked.

The blue haired boy gave a short nod, "Valentine's day is tomorrow and I normally stay home, but…there's a test…"

The taller of the two stopped and asked, "You're not thinking of going, right?"

"I have to! Tests are important. Besides, it's quiet during tests so I'll be okay." Kuroko said, almost as if he was reassuring himself.

"And what will you do after the test…?"

"I'll hide in the nurse's office." The blue haired boy made a plan for tomorrow that he believed would work.

Kuroko woke up really early the next morning to beat everyone to school so he could hide in the infirmary where the nurse understood his problem with noise and was also his legal guardian. While walking into the school, he noticed Akashi walking down the hall towards him.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun, good morning. You're really early today." The redhead said.

"Good morning, Akashi-sensei." The blue haired boy said with a bow, "I'm just going to the nurse's office."

His teacher seemed confused as to why his student was going to the nurse's office but he smiled gently and said, "I hope there's nothing wrong then."

Kuroko nodded awkwardly and ran off. When he got to the nurse's office, the nurse smiled and said, "Hiding here again, Tetsu-kun?"

"I'm sorry, I just need a place to hide until the test starts and when the test ends." The blue haired boy said while sitting on a bed.

The nurse smiled and she said, "Well it's no problem to me, you're really quiet. But won't Taiga worry about you if he can't find you?"

Kuroko shrugged, "He'll find me."

The nurse, Kuroko and Kagami were really close since she saw Kuroko ever so often, either crying, blocking out the noise of unconscious. She made sure to keep the blue haired boy in a quiet place and always be around to help him.

Kuroko waited until ten seconds before the bell so he could run to class without anyone crowding him. Valentine 's Day was his worst enemy after all; there was always too much noise and too many people crowding around him.

Kuroko stepped into class at the last second, trying to catch his breath. Akashi stared at him strangely, knowing that there should have been no reason for the blue haired boy to be running late since he was at school so early. The blue haired boy walked to the back of the class towards his desk, which was covered in chocolates and gifts. Kuroko sighed and packed them in his bag carefully. He was happy to receive so many gifts and he would cherish them, but first, he had to get the test over with.

When Akashi handed out the tests, Kuroko did his best to finish as fast as possible. To him, it was easy; the answers to the questions flowed from his brain straight to the paper, but he was able to tell that Kagami was having a harder time. His best friend sat in front of him and Kagami's struggles were evident. When Kuroko finished, he handed the test to his teacher and asked, "May I please go to the nurse's office, I have things to attend there."

Akashi knew that something was off about Kuroko and he wanted to know what, so he said, "No. You will leave when the bell rings like everyone else."

Kuroko's eyes widened as he imagined the amount of noise that he would hear if he stayed until the bell rang, but he couldn't go against his teacher so he nodded and sat back down. The blue haired boy was restless in his seat; he stared at the clock and waited desperately for the bell to ring. He was able to see some people who wanted to give him chocolate or to chase him around the school. Akashi noticed all of this and he was determined to get to the nurse's office before Kuroko. When Kagami finished his test, he turned and put his hand lightly on the blue haired boy's head.

"It'll be okay." His best friend whispered. The blue haired boy smiled nervously and continued to stare at the clock.

When the bell rang, Kuroko jumped out of his seat and ran for the nurse's office. Akashi took a shortcut to the nurse's office to make sure he was there before his weird blue haired student. In the middle of the hallway, a group of girls approached Kuroko and said,

"Happy Valentine's Day! Please accept our love."

The blue haired boy swallowed thickly as he suddenly became crowded by girls. He had lost Kagami somewhere so he had no escape plan. Kuroko broke past the loud crowd, his breathing became uneven and he started to feel dizzy. The blue haired boy ran to the nurse's office and tried to open the door.

It was locked.

Kuroko cursed colourfully and yelled in frustration. He knocked on the door frantically until someone opened it. It was Akashi. The blue haired boy heard the cacophony quickly approaching as the students called out his name. Kuroko looked at the redhead and said, "Please excuse my actions, Akashi-sensei."

Then he pushed his teacher into the room.

Kuroko locked the door behind him and hid in the corner of the room with his hands over his ears. The redhead looked at Kuroko and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Too much…noise." The blue haired boy whimpered, "There's too much noise. I can't…breath."

Akashi quickly opened the door to the nurse's office and faced the crowd of girls, "This is an infirmary! Be quiet and let the people in here rest. This is absolutely unacceptable, you think you want to have a crowd in your room screaming at you when you're sick?! I don't think so. Now, scram!" Akashi yelled in the hallways, then he shut the door and went back to Kuroko when he was sure everyone was gone.

The redhead tried to peel away the blue haired boy's hands from his ears, but Kuroko just shook his head no and tried to move away from Akashi. The nurse and Kagami walked in a second later. The taller redhead ran over to Kuroko and pried his hands off of his ears.

"Kuroko, it's me. Shh, it's okay. It's quiet. Everything is silent." Kagami said in a calm voice.

The blue haired boy was hyperventilating, his eyes were wide and he felt the urge to throw up. Kuroko mumbled, "It's so loud."

Kagami tried again but the blue haired boy just repeated himself. Kuroko curled up, bringing his knees right up to his chest and his hands back over his ears.

Akashi observed his student and then forcefully prised Kuroko's hands away from his ears again. Kagami stood back and watched his teacher with a worried expression. Akashi leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Kuroko's so that their warmth was shared. Their eyes locked together and then Akashi whispered,

"I know you're scared, but you have to understand that no one here is going to hurt you. No one is coming for you. You're safe here, that's why you come here in the first place, right? So sleep, it's alright."

When Akashi pulled away, the blue haired boy closed his eyes slowly and fell asleep in the redhead's arms. Kagami stared in disbelief as Akashi gently put Kuroko in a sleeping position on the bed and asked,

"Can you tell me what's going on, Kagami-kun?"

"Uh…Kuroko gets migraines and panic attacks when he heard loud noises or when there's too much stuff going on. He didn't want to come to school today because on Valentine's Day, he tends to get crowded, but he came for the test." The taller redhead explained coldly.

"Ah, I see. Another question." Akashi said.

"Shoot."

"I can tell you don't like me." The red haired teacher started, "Why is that?"

Kagami picked up his bags and headed for the door, before he left he said, "I don't like you because Kuroko loves you instead of me."

The taller redhead shut the door quietly and went to have his lunch, leaving the nurse, Akashi and Kuroko in the infirmary.

The blue haired boy slept peacefully while Akashi seemed to be overthinking the situation of Kuroko liking him. The teacher sat on a chair with his legs and arms crossed and he thought,

_Kuroko-kun loves me…Kagami-kun loves Kuroko-kun. Ugh…What have I gotten into?_

"Um…Akashi-san?" The nurse said to get the redhead's attention, "I suggest you talk to Tetsu-kun about this whole liking matter. He takes things really seriously so it shouldn't be a problem. He won't break down and run away crying because you don't like him."

Akashi smiled and said, "Thank you. I'll have a talk with him when he wakes up. Is it alright if I stay here for lunch?"

"Of course." The nurse said with a gentle smile.

For the whole lunch break, Akashi sat beside the blue haired boy and thought hard about what to do with him. When lunch break was almost over, the redhead got up and said,

"Can you make sure he doesn't leave until school ends? I have to talk to him afterall."

"Sure. He'll probably still be sleeping." The nurse said as she watched Akashi head towards the class.

For the rest of the day, Akashi felt worried and troubled. He didn't know how to deal with his feelings and Kuroko's feelings as well. The redhead was too young for this and he just felt lost as to what he should do.

When the day was over, he went back to the nurse's room to pick up the blue haired boy. The nurse handed Akashi and bottle of pills and said, "Be sure to give this to Tetsu-kun when he wakes up. He needs them to sleep and calm down. Usually after one of these breakouts, he'll continue to hear loud noises everywhere he goes, even if it's dead silent. The pills will just help him sleep."

The redhead nodded and said, "Can I have Kuroko's address? I'll just drive him to his house afterwards."

The nurse handed a piece of paper to Akashi with an address on it and then said, "Tell him to get well soon."

Akashi carried Kuroko to his car and put him in the back seats so that he could lie down. The blue haired boy was still unconscious so the redhead decided to wait until he woke up.

After half an hour, Kuroko groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He saw crimson eyes staring at him and asked, "What…am I doing here? Actually, where is 'here'?"

"My car. You were unconscious." The redhead replied.

The blue haired boy sat up and asked, "…Why did you bring me here exactly? You could've just tossed me to Kagami-kun or the nurse."

Akashi sighed, unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed over to the back seat with the blue haired boy. Kuroko looked as confused as ever but he waited for Akashi to explain himself.

"I need to talk to you about something Kagami-kun told me."

Kuroko suddenly didn't like where this conversation was going. The redhead was able to feel that Kuroko was scared so he said, "Whatever happens today will stay between us. I will not tell anyone, you will not tell anyone."

Kuroko nodded nervously and asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Kagami-kun said that he didn't like me because you like me instead of liking him. Is this true?"

"Well, I didn't know about him liking me but it's true that I've grown to like you." The blue haired boy said with a small tint of pink across his cheeks."

Akashi continued, "You do realize that—"

Kuroko interrupted him, "Yes, I do realize that it's impossible and I get it. You're a teacher and I'm your student. But I'm thinking about after I graduate and how I won't be your student anymore. Will I be able to be yours then? Am I enough?"

The redhead blushed deeply and stared at Kuroko's blue eyes. Akashi quickly avoided the question and said, "I'm glad you understand…I'll drop you off at your house."

Kuroko stayed silent, he balled his hands into fists and stared out the window. The redhead felt bad, he did have feelings for Kuroko but it was impossible, even if they were only three years apart.

Before Kuroko left the car, the redhead handed him to bottle of pilled, "She said to take one before you go to sleep. It's still really loud, isn't it?"

The blue haired boy brushed Akashi's hand away and mumbled, "Don't need it. Goodnight."

Kuroko gave an awkward bow and then ran into his house. The redhead sighed and decided to keep the pills with him, just in case Kuroko needed help.

The next day, the blue haired boy didn't go to school and he also stayed home the day after that. When Kuroko did come back to school, he looked really tired.

There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was messed up. The girls and boys still loved him though, they thought he looked absolutely adorable.

Kuroko sat down in his chair and tried to get some rest.

_I probably should've taken those pills from Akashi-sensei…It's still so loud. _The blue haired boy thought to himself.

When class started, Kuroko began to doze off. All he wanted to do was sleep but every once in a while, he would hear something that he found loud or irritating. But the class was silent and Kuroko knew he was just hearing things. The blue haired boy listened to Akashi's voice as he taught the class and then heard,

"Kuroko-kun?"

Kuroko's eyes snapped open and he looked up to see Akashi standing in front of him. The blue haired boy stood up and apologized, "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."

"I said, 'Are you alright?'. You look kind of sick. Would you like to go to the infirmary?" Akashi asked. Kuroko shook his head no, but the redhead said, "I'm worried about you. Please, go to the infirmary and lie down for a while. If you're feeling better then you can come back."

The blue haired boy gave in and nodded, then muttered a "thank you" under his breathe so that nobody else heard it.

When Kuroko got to the infirmary, he plopped down onto a bed and tried to sleep. The nurse handed him a pill but the blue haired boy rejected it.

"I don't want it." He said.

"Tetsu-kun…You have to take it."

Kuroko repeated himself, "I don't want it."

The nurse sighed and put the pill away, then tucked Kuroko into the bed, "Try and get comfortable. You can still hear loud noises sometimes, right?"

The blue haired boy nodded and turned onto his side. When the lunch bell rang, Kuroko heard the door to the infirmary slide open. He heard two people whispering so he tried to eavesdrop,

"He has to take it." The nurse said.

"You can't force someone to take medicine."

"I'm his legal guardian, I think I can force him. It's like a motherly act to get their stubborn child to eat medicine. So please, get him to take it. I give you permission to force Tetsu-kun to take it."

Kuroko turned around in shock and saw Akashi standing there with the pill in his hand. The blue haired boy quickly got up and tried to leave the infirmary but the door was locked.

"Are you kidding me?" Kuroko said, "Akashi-sensei, if you touch me, I can file you under assault."

The redhead shrugged, "Well, I'll find out what to do if that happens. For now, you're taking this stupid pill and going to sleep."

Kuroko backed away from the redhead and tried to find something to hide himself. Akashi quickly snatched the blue haired boy's wrists and pinned him on the bed. The redhead got on top of Kuroko and tried to shove the pill in his mouth.

The blue haired boy grit his teeth together and kept his mouth shut as he thrashed around on the bed.

"Just…eat it, Kuroko-kun!" Akashi exclaimed while continuously trying to open the blue haired boy's mouth.

The nurse laughed slightly at the sight of the redhead being so childish. While the two of them struggled against each other, the nurse went back to her own work.

Both of them tired out eventually and they both stopped struggling. Akashi held the pill in his hand, trying to think of another way to force Kuroko to sleep. The redhead shuffled a bit to make sure he had the blue haired boy pinned underneath him and then brought the pill to his own mouth. Kuroko stared in confusion when Akashi put the pill in his own mouth. The redhead leaned down and kissed Kuroko.

The blue haired boy made a muffled noise as Akashi used his tongue to push the pill into Kuroko's mouth, then he pulled away and slapped a hand over the blue haired boy's lips and said, "Swallow."

As the pill melted in Kuroko's mouth, he couldn't stand the bitter taste so he swallowed it immediately. Akashi took his hand off and said,

"Open your mouth, I have to check if you actually swallowed it."

The blue haired boy was obviously pouting but he did as he was told. Akashi smiled and said, "Good. Rest well, Kuroko-kun."

The redhead leaned in and kissed Kuroko on the forehead without thinking. The blue haired boy's eyes widened and so did Akashi's when he realized he had kissed Kuroko's forehead out of complete emotion. The redhead hastily got up and left the infirmary. Kuroko felt tired and as much as he tried to fight the drug, he fell asleep.

After that day, Akashi began to ignore the blue haired boy. He would strictly act as a teacher and wouldn't interact with Kuroko in any other way. The blue haired boy felt as if he had done something wrong. He wanted to get closer to Akashi but they both ended up pulling away.

On graduation day, Kuroko graduated at the top of the school and he was accepted into the best university. However, when everyone started clapping, the blue haired boy ran off to hide. Akashi excused himself from the graduation ceremony to go look for Kuroko and he found him on the roof, covering his ears and crying in the corner.

The redhead slowly approached him and sat down beside the crying graduate.

"Akashi-sensei…I just embarrassed myself in front of the whole school because I can't take the noise…" The blue haired boy said.

The redhead chuckled and said, "Everyone has a fear, you're afraid of the noise. You're afraid of not being able to hear yourself and that's okay."

Kuroko kept his hands over his ears and tried to drown out the noise in his head. Akashi continued to talk, "There's something I want you to hear."

The blue haired boy slowly lowered his hands from his ears, Akashi grabbed Kuroko's arms and pulled him into a tight embrace, "A few months ago, you asked me if you could be mine and if you were enough. I didn't answer you, which is what I regret, I can't even imagine how much pain you went through because of me just rejecting you over and over again. I'll tell you now that I want you to me mine and you are more than enough. You are always more than enough."

Kuroko sobbed as he held onto the redhead tightly. The blue haired boy leaned his head against Akashi's chest and listened to his rapid heartbeat. After a while, Akashi whispered an apology and lightly planted a kiss on Kuroko's lips. The blue haired boy kissed back and pulled Akashi down on top of him. Akashi leaned on his elbows and deepened the kiss. Their lips meshed together perfectly as they eagerly pushed and pulled, wanting more. At some point, their clothes and thoughts were abandoned and they lay there staring up at the sky.

Kuroko mumbled, "I can't believe we just had sex on the school roof…"

"I can't believe nobody heard you." Akashi murmured.

The blue haired boy smiled and said, "We should probably go back and make it seem like everything is chill."

"Or we could pretend I didn't find you yet and you're still hiding somewhere."

Kuroko gave a sound of approval and he sat up. The redhead noticed the tally marks on his back and asked, "Where…did you get those marks?"

"Was born with them. Why?" Kuroko asked.

"I…uh, I have this memory from long ago, where I was with someone who had the same marks on their back in Spain." The redhead said.

"That's strange. Maybe you're insane." Kuroko joked. But the blue haired boy felt that something was definitely familiar about Akashi. He just couldn't remember why. Kuroko slowly brushed his fingers over the tally marks on Akashi's back and felt something wanting to burst within him. The blue haired boy gasped and whispered,

"Seijuro…"

Akashi felt as if something was triggered and his memories also rushed back to him. The redhead turned to face his loved one and wrapped his arms around him.

"I missed you, Tetsuya."

"Same."

Both of them hid form everyone until the graduation ceremony was over and then they made sure that nobody saw them when they hopped into Akashi car to go home. Once they got to the redhead's apartment, Akashi asked,

"Won't your parents be worried?"

"I live by myself. The nurse at the school, Momoi-san, she takes care of me. My parents passed away long ago so I'm sure they won't be worried. I'm pretty sure Momoi-san knows I'm with you as well." The blue haired boy said.

"Just call her later and make sure she knows you're living with me."

Kuroko leaned against the redhead and whispered, "Okay. But in the morning, because right now I want to spend the night with you and without any other thought on my mind."

Akashi chuckled and pulled Kuroko towards the bedroom to hold his lover lovingly to make up for the time they lost.

In the morning, the blue haired boy talked with Momoi and moved his belongings to Akashi's apartment. The redhead continued to teacher while Kuroko studied through university. Both of them got their tattoo and admired the beauty of having more and more tally marks on their back.

However, with each tally mark that was added, even though they were proud to have made it this far, they felt sad that another lifetime had gone by.

When Akashi came back home from work, he always saw Kuroko sprawled out on the bed with his books and study notes everywhere. The redhead smiled and carefully put the notes away.

Akashi was happy to see that the blue haired boy was working hard and he was happy to tuck Kuroko into bed and look at his adorable sleeping face every day.

Years passed and they lived happily. They were always happy to be around each other and they wished their lifetime would never end.

After many years, Kuroko passed away and a few years after that; Akashi passed away as well.

"_Akashi-sensei?" A girl asked._

"_Yes, dear." The redhead said while pushing his glasses up. He looked away from the chalkboard and faced the student._

"_What do you think love looks like?" The female student asked._

_Akashi sighed, clearly irritated that the student had interrupted class for such a silly question, but he gave her a truthful answer,_

"_Love looks like a boy with sapphire eyes which are like pools of water. His hair shining the same brilliant blue. His face always wearing a smile. His heart filled with compassion. His love burning strong within my heart. That's my love."_

_The female student was taken away by this answer and she asked, "Where is your love?"_

"_Well…He's gone. He passed away before I did and my love is gone. But, I'll see him again, so it's alright. As long as that flame continues to burn within my heart, my love will never fade."_

**Author's Note:**

**The last stuff in italics is something that happened before Akashi passed away. I hope you liked this chapter. I had fun writing it, like always.**

**Requests are always welcome, I'm writing a lot of them now since I'm running out of ideas.**

**See you in the next chapter.**


	13. Life 13

"Get out!" The man yelled while throwing a half empty beer bottle at his blue haired son. When the bottle hit him on the forehead with bruising force, the alcohol was spilled all over his body. The blue haired boy lay on the floor, hoping that his father would just forget about him and then leave but his father yelled, "Didn't you hear me, trash? I said get out!"

"Kuroko Tetsuya…" The blue haired boy mumbled.

"What?!" His father exclaimed while staggering back in forth.

Kuroko got up and pulled his jacket over his shoulders, "Have you forgotten the name you gave me when I was born? It's Kuroko Tetsuya."

The blue haired boy's father picked up an old chair and threw it at his son, "Get out!"

Kuroko hastily left the house and walked out to a park which was nearby. He sighed and looked up at the night sky. He barely felt pain anymore; what was the point of crying? What was the point of caring what happened to his body anymore? What was the point of living?

Kuroko's father came home drunk every day and would take out his frustrations on his son. The blue haired boy's emotions were nullified as time passed. He kept everything hidden to himself and would make sure he didn't show any vulnerable points. Kuroko's mother left a few years ago and since that day, their family became a wreck.

Kuroko breathed in the cold autumn air and sighed again. Suddenly, he heard the sound of leaves crunching underneath someone's feet. Kuroko looked up to see his only friend, Akashi Seijuro.

The redhead had met the blue haired boy on the summer night. Kuroko was sitting alone as always and he was staring up at the stars when the redhead sat down beside him and asked, "What's wrong?"

The blue haired boy was surprised to see someone who cared and someone who was able to tell that something was wrong in the first place. Kuroko had shrugged and said, "Nothing. Doesn't matter to you anyway."

Akashi shook his head and refused to believe that nothing was wrong and so, since that day, the redhead stuck to the blue haired boy to find out what was making him depressed. Kuroko didn't mind having the redhead around, he was a nice person to talk to.

Akashi sat down beside the blue haired boy and said, "You're out here all alone again."

The blue haired boy glowered at Akashi and growled, "No shit Sherlock."

"It's just hard to start a conversation with you, so I say obvious things." Akashi said with a laugh.

The redhead leaned against Kuroko's shoulder and the blue haired immediately flinched away.

"Don't touch me." Kuroko said.

Akashi simply smiled gently and said, "I'm sorry."

They sat in silence for a while until Akashi said, "When are you going back home?"

The blue haired boy suddenly felt uncomfortable with his "friend". Kuroko wasn't even sure he would call him a friend, he was more like an acquaintance. As close as they were (which wasn't that close at all), the blue haired boy didn't want Akashi to know about his family problem, so he said, "Soon. I just really like staying out at night."

"You're lying…" Akashi mumbled, "You always lie when I ask you that."

"Then why do you keep asking?" Kuroko snapped at the redhead.

Akashi lightly touched the blue haired boy's arm and said, "'Cause the day you tell the truth is the day I'll know you trust me."

The blue haired boy scoffed, "I trust no one."

Akashi sighed and got up, he walked away from the blue haired boy, turned and said, "See you later, Kuroko."

"Whatever." The blue haired boy mumbled as he watched Akashi disappear into the darkness of the night.

When Kuroko returned home in the morning, he gathered his belongings to go to school before his father woe up with a hangover. The blue haired boy stared out the window with no thought at school. Everyone seemed a bit afraid of Kuroko since he always showed up with a new injury every day.

When class started, the teacher introduced a transfer student. A familiar voice said, "Hello, I'm Akashi Seijuro. I skipped two grades so I'm two years younger than you guys. I hope we have a good year together, it's nice to meet all of you."

Kuroko's eyes locked with those red ones, he glared at Akashi as he walked down to sit beside him. The redhead smiled and said, "I didn't know you went here."

The blue haired boy grunted in response and then turned to look out the window again. During lunch, the redhead pulled his chair over to sit in front of Kuroko who was silently eating his lunch. Akashi watched the blue haired boy for a moment and then said,

"I can see you a lot better now. I always saw you in the dull light of the moon."

"What's your point?" Kuroko asked.

The redhead reached out and lightly placed his hand on Kuroko's cheek. The blue haired boy was stunned, he didn't move as Akashi moved his hand up and over Kuroko's bruise on his forehead,

"My point is…" Akashi said, "What happened to your forehead?"

The blue haired boy snapped out of his daze and snatched Akashi's wrist, "None of your business."

The redhead sighed and pulled his hand away from Kuroko's grasp. They were both silent for a while and then Kuroko said, "I suggest you stay away from me…People won't like you; they'll think you're a gangster, thug of delinquent."

"Is that what you are?" The redhead asked.

"No." The blue haired boy said immediately, "No…That's not who I am. You don't understand."

Akashi grinned and said, "I choose to stay by your side. Not like the students can kill me over talking to you."

The blue haired boy didn't say anything else but Akashi was able to tell that Kuroko was hiding a genuine smile. When the day ended, the blue haired boy took his time going home. Since Akashi lived near the blue haired boy, the redhead followed Kuroko to know which way to go.

"Thanks for walking me home." Akashi said.

The blue haired boy shrugged, "Not like I have a choice. We live near each other."

Akashi walked onto his street, turned towards the blue haired boy and said, "See you later!"

Each day, Akashi would say the same thing; a small 'see you later' before they parted. Eventually, the bleu haired boy started walking Akashi to his apartment door to waste more time before going home.

Kuroko waited outside for what seemed like an eternity and when he couldn't take the cold anymore, he finally decided to go home.

"I'm back…" The blue haired boy mumbled as he entered the house. When he got no answer back, Kuroko figured his father was out drinking himself to the grave. He put his school bag down and went to his room to lie down. The blue haired boy fell onto his bed and sighed. Kuroko's tired body caught up to him and he decided to take a quick nap.

He woke up to a stinging pain on his cheek. The blue haired boy put a hand to his cheek and noticed that he was bleeding. When Kuroko looked up, he saw his father pointing the kitchen knife at him.

"Useless trash! I thought I told you to get out! Scum like you don't deserve a house!" His father yelled as he slashed the knife back and forth, each time the blade getting closer to Kuroko.

The blue haired boy quickly stood up and bowed, "I'm sorry father, I will leave immediately."

When Kuroko tried to leave he felt his hair being pulled back. The blue haired boy gasped and fell back onto the bed. His father sat on top of him to make sure he didn't move and sneered,

"I'll have to take something from you so that you remember to never come back."

Kuroko desperately struggled to get away from his father.

"What should I take, hm?" His father asked with a devilish grin. The knife was pressed to his throat, making the blue haired boy afraid to swallow or make a sound. The clean blade slowly made its way down to his shirt and the thin cloth was sliced away easily. His father moved the blade back up and laughed, "I know what I'll take."

Kuroko felt a scream building in his lungs as the knife edged closer and closer, teasing him of the pain to come. Suddenly, Kuroko's cellphone rang.

They both stiffened. Kuroko stared at his bedside table where the cellphone quietly played its ringtone while his father stopped moving the knife and looked at the caller ID.

"Akashi Seijuro? Who's that?" His father demanded an answer.

The blue haired boy didn't know how to respond as he wasn't quite sure what Akashi was to him ,"Uh…" Kuroko started, "An acquaintance?"

His father shrugged, "Close enough. Pick up the phone."

The blue haired boy shook his head, "I don't want to."

Kuroko's father pressed the knife against his neck once more and yelled, "Pick up the phone!"

The blue haired boy hesitantly reached for the cellphone and slowly flipped it open, "H-hello?"

A light tone was heard on the other side; the gentle laugh calmed Kuroko down despite his situation, "Ahaha, Kuroko, did I just hear you stutter?"

"Ah…No. So, why are you calling?" The blue haired boy asked while keeping his eyes on his father who still had the knife pressed into his neck.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I was at the park a few minutes ago and I didn't see you."

"It's not like it's a scheduled date." The blue haired boy said as calmly as possible.

_I don't want him to know. He can't know…_ Kuroko thought.

"Well…I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you." Akashi's voice rang in the blue haired boy's ears like a beautiful symphony. Kuroko's father lightly sliced the blue haired boy's left cheek causing him to wince as he thought,

_He can't know…I don't want him to leave me. He can't know. Stay silent._

"A-as if…I need your help." The blue haired boy said carefully. His eyes stung from the tears that were ready to pour out. Akashi was able to feel the redhead smiling on the other side as he said,

"You're such a stubborn one. Goodnight, Kuroko."

_Please don't leave me…_ Kuroko thought desperately. The moment Akashi hung up, it would be over for the blue haired boy, _help me. Don't let him hurt me. Save me…Save me…Please save me._

"Save me…Akashi…" Kuroko whispered as quietly as possible. He knew that his father was drunk so he tried to tell the redhead to come without being stabbed.

"What? Kuroko, I can't hear you." The voice said on the other side.

The blue haired boy whimpered slightly as he saw that his father's attention was turning back towards him, "Save me, Akashi!" Kuroko yelled and then he threw the phone at his father in an attempt to throw him off.

The blue haired boy shifted his weight and screamed as he felt the knife impale his leg. Kuroko felt his father's fingers reaching up to his face and then he felt those fingers digging into his eye. Screams filled the cold air as his eye was ripped out of its socket.

Kuroko felt like he couldn't' move; his body felt too heavy. All he was able to do was keep screaming. When his left eye was gone, Kuroko's father laughed, "I've taken something away from you. That acquaintance of yours isn't coming, you know. Who would want to be around you? You're just a dirty boy living in the dark side of town. Nobody wants you."

"I want him." Akashi's voice rang through Kuroko's head as he lay there on the bed, curling up to try and ease the pain.

The redhead had brought along some police officers since he figured the situation was bad. Then Akashi realized, what he thought was bad, was actually worse. He ran towards Kuroko and cradled him in his arms.

"Oh my god…Your eye. Holy shit…We're going to take you to the hospital, okay? Just wait. Oh shit…there's so much blood. Kuroko…."

_Forget the eye_. Kuroko wanted to said, _Just hold my tighter._

Even without telling Akashi, the redhead held onto Kuroko tightly and cried for his friend.

"I'm so sorry I didn't notice, Kuroko… I'm so sorry. Please…forgive me."

The blue haired boy couldn't help but give a weak smile as he brushed the tears from Akashi's face, "It's alright. I'm fine." He whispered.

The paramedics took Kuroko tot eh hospital to get his eye treated and during that time, Akashi would always visit as soon as his schedule was clear and would leave as late as possible. Each day, before Akashi left, he would turn around, smile and said, "See you later." To make sure Kuroko knew he wasn't going to abandon him. The redhead talked for hours with Kuroko about anything, to keep the blue haired boy company.

When the blue haired boy was healed enough, he walked around with an eye patch and refused to move into Akashi's apartment.

"I don't need your hospitality." Kuroko pouted while the redhead dragged him towards his apartment.

"Enough with your stubbornness! Just come with me." Akashi exclaimed as he pushed the blue haired boy through the front door.

"My home is your home. It's just me in this apartment since my parents actually gave me this because they didn't want to deal with me." The redhead said.

Kuroko looked around the apartment and then Akashi guided him into a bedroom, "This is your room. I hope you like it."

As the redhead gave him a short tour of the apartment, Kuroko gave a small smile and whispered, "Thank you."

"No problem." Akashi answered with a smiled, "You should take a shower since you were stuck in that hospital for a few days. I'll make some dinner."

The blue haired boy nodded and headed towards the bathroom. "See you later." Akashi mumbled.

While Kuroko was in the shower, he knew that the redhead also had something going on in his life that made him depressed. The blue haired boy didn't want to pry, but he wanted to know more about Akashi.

Kuroko and Akashi ate dinner together silently and then the blue haired boy asked, "Why do you always say 'see you later'? It's not like I'll disappear into thin air."

"Some people do." The redhead muttered.

"What do you mean?"

Akashi put his chopsticks down and pushed the chair back, "It's nothing."

The blue haired boy quickly got up as well and exclaimed, "It's not nothing. It's never nothing."

"You never tell me about yourself, why should I tell you about myself?" Akashi asked.

"I was afraid that if I told you, you would leave me." Kuroko mumbled.

"Why would I leave you?"

The blue haired boy put his dishes in the sink and said, "Everyone does when they find out. My father had problems even before my mother left and the moment my mother noticed those problems, she packed her bags and left without me. Some people who knew about my abusive father didn't do anything and even called me a pain because I can't do anything myself. People leave me because they're afraid of butting into my problem, even though sometimes butting in helps. Like what you did."

Akashi sighed and gently grabbed the blue haired boy's hand and said, "I guess we're the same when it comes to feelings. I haven't felt the pain that you've felt but my father did pack his bags on me."

The redhead pulled Kuroko towards the couch to sit and then continued, "My father was a business man and he often went on business trips. Before those business trips, he would always pat my head and say, 'see you later' to reassure me that he was coming back no matter what. Then one day, he just didn't come back and years later I heard that he was off with some other woman. I say 'see you later' to reassure myself that I'll see you again…"

Kuroko took a deep breath and held the redhead's hand tightly, "I won't leave you."

"Those are just words and you know that." The redhead spat out.

The blue haired boy turned Akashi's chin towards him and pulled him close, "You want some sort of proof?"

When the redhead gave slight nod, Kuroko pushed his lips onto Akashi's. The kiss felt electric as they moved their lips together. Their memories returned quickly and they both pulled away.

Akashi was gasping at the sudden flow of memories and Kuroko was pinching the bridge of his nose due to a headache. After a few minutes, they both laughed and tackled each other to the ground in an attempt to hug.

"Well now, we know for sure we won't leave each other." Kuroko muttered while cuddling the redhead.

"What is with this horrible life though? I mean, you got your eye gouged out…" Akashi said, clearly horrified by the turn of events.

The blue haired boy chuckled and said, "Just enjoy life now. Forget about what happened."

Akashi hummed in approval and they both quickly moved to the bed to sleep.

In the morning, they went out to get their thirteenth tattoo and some food. Akashi still said 'see you later' despite the fact that he regained his memories. Years passed and they were still as happy as ever, until Akashi got sick.

The redhead sat on the hospital bed and stared out the window with no thought. When Kuroko entered the room, he turned and smiled, "Tetsuya…Come here."

Akashi's skin was more pale than usual but his eyes still glistened with the same light. The blue haired boy sat beside Akashi and let the redhead caress his face.

"Seijuro…I…" Kuroko started but was quickly interrupted,

"No. You will not prevent this death. Fate is just telling me that it's time and you know that."

The blue haired boy sobbed and whined, "I know…But it still hurts so much."

Akashi pulled the blue haired boy into his embrace and whispered, "I know it hurts, Tetsuya. But I'll see you later, right?"

Kuroko smiled through his tears and lightly kissed the redhead. The blue haired boy nodded and said,

"See you later."

When Akashi passed away, the blue haired boy felt as if he had lost his other eye. Kuroko waited day in and day out for death. After three years, it was finally given to him.

**Author's Note:**

**I just noticed my mistake because someone mentioned it. The order of their deaths do connect with their next life. In chapter 11, Kuroko passed away first however in chapter 12 I accidentally made Kuroko younger. I am so sorry about that, I'm pretty sure it confused those who have noticed. I can't really change it now since the whole story within the previous chapter would have to change. So, I'll watch out for my age thing for every chapter after.**

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. I'll see you in the next one.**


	14. Life 14

_What makes us humans different from any other species? Is it our capacity of knowledge? Perhaps. But in fact, it has been shown that every other species only needs water, food and shelter to survive while humans need water, food, shelter and communication with others. Human beings have a high need to communicate so that their mind continues to function with the thoughts of others around them. _

_Loneliness is a human's fear._

Akashi was thirteen years old at the time his parents decided to adopt a child. They said they didn't want those children to feel lonely, so if they could just save one and give him or her a home, they would be happy. The redhead wasn't so excited about the situation since he was at the difficult teenage age, but he said he didn't mind.

When they all went to the orphanage together, Akashi decided to look around while his parents were discussing who to take home. As the redhead searched the empty rooms, he found a boy all by himself curled up in a corner.

Akashi felt his curiosity peak at the sight of the boy so he slowly approached him. The boy had blue hair and when he looked up, Akashi saw the most beautiful blue eyes. The boy hissed and said, "Stay away. You're one of **them**."

"Them?" Akashi asked.

"An outsider. Here to adopt children." The blue haired boy said angrily.

The redhead sat down in front of Kuroko and held out his hand, "What's making you so angry?"

The blue haired boy slapped Akashi's hand away and said, "You. Everyone who comes in here is either like 'Oh I must save one of these poor little children' and I agree, some of us do need a home. Others are like 'My child needs a brother or sister because they're so lonely but we don't want to have sex again'. This is just picking a child out of a box to me and I hate that. Which one are you?"

Akashi sighed, "My parents are both I guess. Mostly the first one though."

"Then what about you?"

"I'm none. I don't really want a brother or a sister. I'm not lonely; I'm happy where I am and I'm happy with who I am. You're the same as I, right?"

Kuroko nodded and smiled, "Yeah! I'm happy where I am."

"I'm Akashi Seijuro and I'm thirteen years old. How about you?"

The blue haired boy held Akashi's hand and squeezed it tight, "My name is…Kuroko Tetsuya and I'm ten years old."

Akashi smiled and talked with the blue haired boy until his parents finally came looking for him. However, when his parents saw Kuroko, they immediately took a liking to him.

"Ah! Mom, dad! We can't take him." The redhead said to defend Kuroko.

"Well why not, Sei-chan?" His mother asked with a light laugh. Akashi saw that the blue haired boy didn't want to go anywhere and he definitely didn't like being watched by the redhead's parents.

"He's happy here."

"Sei-chan, how could you say that? Don't you see the misery on his face?"

"Uh…no?" The redhead said while standing in front of Kuroko, acting like a shield.

The blue haired boy peeked over Akashi's shoulder and said, "A-Akashi-san…I'm happy where I am. I like you son but I don't wish to be adopted."

Akashi's mother's expression softened and she kneeled down and asked, "Do you wish to stay with my son?"

Kuroko suddenly felt a surge of conflicted feelings. It was true he wanted to be with Akashi but he really **really** didn't want to be adopted.

"…No…" The blue haired boy mumbled, then he walked off to his bed and hid under the covers. When Akashi and his parents left the room, Kuroko peeked out and sighed. He knew he couldn't stay at the orphanage forever. The moment he hit sixteen, they would kick him out to go find work. After an hour, Akashi came back and held his hand out to the blue haired boy.

"Come with me." The redhead said.

Kuroko slapped Akashi's hand away and muttered a 'no'. He liked being alone, it was quiet and he didn't have to think about other people's feelings.

The woman who ran the orphanage entered the room and said, "Kuroko…Akashi's parents adopted you."

The blue haired boy's eyes widened, "…What? But I…I don't want to go."

The woman just shook her head and said, "The papers are already signed dear. You belong to them."

"**Belong**…I **belong** to them? Are you kidding me? Don't I have rights? Am I not a human being? Am I just a thing now?!" Kuroko yelled in frustration.

The redhead's parents pat the blue haired boy's back and slowly took his to the car. Kuroko followed depressingly and was silent for the whole car ride. When Akashi tried to talk with the blue haired boy, Kuroko said,

"I hate you." Then went back to staring out the window.

The redhead understood why Kuroko would say that so he also stayed silent and decided to leave the blue haired boy alone.

When they got to Akashi's house, his mother said, "We signed the papers saying that we would be your guardians, not your parents. So just think of this place as your home and we're your caretakers. You don't have to warm up to us as if we're your parents if that makes you comfortable."

Kuroko sighed and nodded then he mumbled, "Thank you." Knowing that it was only normal to be polite even if he wasn't happy about the situation.

Akashi's mother showed the blue haired boy to his room and said, "If you ever need anything don't be afraid to ask me or Sei-chan. It's best to avoid asking questions to my husband, he'll end up giving you a lecture about life or something."

"Thank you, Akashi-san." The blue haired boy said with a bow.

When Akashi's mother left, Kuroko fell back on the bed and took a deep breath.

_This is my home now…Get used to it, other than the fact that they pulled me out of a box to take care of me._ The blue haired boy thought and then he went to sleep.

Kuroko felt someone shaking his shoulder and when he turned around, he noticed it was Akashi.

"Dinner's ready." He whispered.

The blue haired boy glared at Akashi and got up. Without saying a word to the redhead, Kuroko followed him to the dinner table.

The blue haired boy ate without a word and then thanked Akashi's mother for the meal when he was done. Kuroko gently put his dishes away and went back up to his room.

"Sei-chan…" Akashi's mother said, "Why don't you go talk to him?"

"He hates me." The redhead said. His mother sighed and said,

"I don't believe he hates you. He just hates the situation he's in. He's scared. Imagine if you had a new home that you didn't want to be in and it's filled with strangers; at least try to make him feel comfortable and safe."

Akashi nodded and headed towards Kuroko's room. The redhead lightly knocked on the door and heard a muffled, "Come in."

The blue haired boy was sitting by the window and staring up at the night sky. When he turned to face Akashi, his blue eyes seemed to glow.

"What do you want?" Kuroko asked, the anger in his voice was evident.

"Look, I don't understand why you're so mad at me. You like me, right? We were talking like best friends a few hours ago." The redhead said, feeling frustrated with Kuroko even though he was supposed to stay calm and make the blue haired boy feel safe and comfortable.

The blue haired boy stood up and walked towards Akashi, his eyes glowing with anger, "I **liked** you. Now I hate you. I hate everything about you. Your voice, your appearance, your kindness, your scent; everything makes me angry."

"Because you were adopted." Akashi finished the blue haired boy's thoughts and then left the room.

Kuroko looked down at the ground and then decided to get ready for bed. During the night, the blue haired boy thought hard about how he felt with the situation. He knew that he didn't actually hate Akashi; but at the same time Kuroko wanted to slap the redhead across the face.

The next day, the blue haired boy woke up before anyone else and decided to explore around the house. He quietly climbed down the stairs and took his time in every room. Kuroko was amazed at how huge Akashi's house was and it amazed him even further that he was living here. But the moment the blue haired boy remembered that he was adopted, he reminded himself to hate the redhead. Kuroko sat by the window and stared at what was outside; he watched as the clouds moved in the sky and the birds flying in flocks. The blue haired boy felt as if he was back in the orphanage and felt as if he was trapped in the building. Akashi's mother came down an hour later to see Kuroko curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly.

She gently wrapped him in a blanket and then started to make breakfast. After a while, Akashi came downstairs and exclaimed, "Mom! I can't find Kuroko! What if he ran away?! What if he's lost?! Call the police!"

His mother laughed and pointed towards the couch. The redhead walked over and peered over the edge to see the blue haired boy sleeping. Akashi fell to the ground in relief and mumbled, "Thank god."

"Sei-chan, can you wake him up for me please?"

The redhead stared at Kuroko's peaceful face and didn't want to burst his bubble, so Akashi just continued to stare. After a few minutes, the redhead lightly put a hand on Kuroko's shoulder and shook him awake.

"Kuroko…Breakfast is ready." Akashi said.

The blue haired boy mumbled something that made no sense and tried to go back to sleep. When Akashi shook him again, Kuroko kept his back to the redhead and muttered, "Go away."

The redhead looked at his mother for help but she just shrugged and set the table. Akashi thought for a while and then smiled. When he started tickling Kuroko, the blue haired boy jolted awake and started laughing.

"Stop! A-Akashi-kun! I can't breathe. I'm gonna die!" Kuroko yelled while the redhead sat on top of him to make sure he didn't escape and tickled him.

"I did ask you nicely to wake up." Akashi said as he continued.

The blue haired boy tried to slap away Akashi's hands but he was completely pinned to the couch. Kuroko was able to feel tears streaming down his face from laughing and his chest heaving for oxygen. The blue haired boy used all his strength to roll over, resulting in both of on the ground, trying to calm down.

Kuroko felt the redhead's arm resting on his waist from tumbling off of the couch and for some reason, it felt familiar. The blue haired boy's face felt hot and he didn't know why, he just knew that he was reacting to Akashi and Kuroko didn't want that. The blue haired boy pushed out with his arms and tried to hide his blushing face. Akashi let his arms slip off of the blue haired boy's waist and then he noticed the blush streaking Kuroko's face. Before both of them said anything, Akashi's mother called them to the table. Once again, silence filled the air; none of them spoke. Akashi's mother kept giving her son a stare and gestured towards Kuroko in an attempt to say, "Talk to him."

"Uh…So Kuroko, you'll be going to school with me soon." Akashi stated and then received an evil glare from the blue haired boy. Kuroko turned his attention to his plate again and mumbled,

"Okay…"

After breakfast, the blue haired boy brushed his teeth and got ready for the day. Akashi's mother took Kuroko shopping for clothes, school supplies and things he wanted to eat. When they came back home, Kuroko continued to ignore the redhead at all costs and only answered when necessary. No matter how much the blue haired boy ignored Akashi, the redhead would always somehow poke at his nerves.

"Hey Kuroko," Akashi started, "why are you so stubborn?"

The blue haired boy's face heated up in embarrassment and he said, "I'm not stubborn! I was just born this way."

The redhead grinned and praised himself for getting Kuroko to talk, "So you were born stubborn."

"Ah…I was not! I didn't mean it like that." Kuroko exclaimed and then threw a pillow at Akashi's face. The pillow was caught easily and the redhead muttered,

"Why can't you just accept me then? You've accepted my mother and father, so why am I the only one you won't accept?"

_Because you feel too familiar. You're strange; you make me feel weird! _Kuroko wanted to yell, but instead he said, "I just hate you."

The redhead didn't feel hurt by these words; he simply got up and left to get ready to go to sleep. Kuroko did the same after a while and before going to bed, Akashi said, "My room is right beside yours, so if you need anything don't be afraid to barge in."

"As if I'll need anything from you." The blue haired boy said and then slammed the door.

Kuroko fell asleep quickly but immediately woke up half an hour later to the sound of thunder. He sat up on his bed and stared in horror at the flashing lights behind his window. The blue haired boy felt his breath quicken and he didn't feel safe in his room. So instead of sitting around being terrified, he slid his legs off of the bed and left his room.

Lightning flashed through the house followed by the deafening crack of thunder. Kuroko flinched and whimpered at the noise and felt list in the house. He barely knew how to get around the house and he felt alone in the darkness. Remembering what Akashi had told him, the blue haired boy walked to the redhead's door and swung it open.

Akashi was sitting at his desk and studying for a test. He was startled when he heard the door to his room open and even more surprised to see that it was Kuroko who had come to his room.

"What's wrong?" he redhead asked while putting his pencil down. The lights in Akashi's room were off and the only source of light was the lamp on his desk. Kuroko hesitantly reached out for the redhead and mumbled,

"The thunder…I don't like it."

The redhead sighed and said, "You can sleep in my bed. I hope you don't mind the lamp being on, I still need to study a bit."

Kuroko crawled into the redhead's bed and stared at him while he was studying. The blue haired boy thought that the way Akashi's bangs fell across his eyes was pretty and that his appearance seemed that of someone very smart and kind. Kuroko forgot about the thunder and closed his eyes. The sound of Akashi's pencil scratching against the paper made the blue haired boy feel calm and after a while, he fell asleep.

When Kuroko got up the next morning, he felt an arm around him, holding him tightly. The blue haired boy yawned and buried his face into the warmth in front of him. When Kuroko came to his senses, he looked up to see Akashi's sleeping face and then took a deep breath. The scent which the blue haired boy once thought as disgusting and something he hated was actually a light scent of vanilla which he loved. Kuroko noticed that he started to love all the things he claimed he had hated about Akashi and it scared the blue haired boy because he still felt as if everything about Akashi was familiar.

When Kuroko went to school, he was constantly bullied and teased because his parents abandoned him. The blue haired boy would often cry during lunch while people ganged up on him, but Akashi would always butt in and yell at them to leave Kuroko alone. Then, he would hug Kuroko and tell him that he was perfect the way he was and that it didn't matter whether he was an orphan or not.

"But Akashi-kun, it's true that I don't have a family and that they abandoned me!" Kuroko exclaimed while trying to stop crying. The redhead sighed and brushed the tears from his face and said,

"You do have a family. My mom's your guardian, that counts as family. My dad's your guardian, that counts as family as well. I'm your friend, that's like family too. You're not alone Kuroko. You have me and my parents; eventually you'll find others too."

Kuroko would always stop crying after the redhead hugged him and they would walk home together, usually Akashi would give the blue haired boy a piggy back ride.

As they grew older, they grew closer. Kuroko never got over his fear of thunderstorms, so during rainy seasons, he would just move into Akashi's room.

One day, they got into a fight; Akashi had told the blue haired boy to grow up and sleep in his own room during a storm and Kuroko felt shocked about this.

"Akashi-kun…Do you hate it when I sleep in your room?" The blue haired boy asked.

The redhead frowned and said, "No, it's just that you're fourteen, you should be able to sleep on your own."

"What if I still can't? Who made that rule? Is there really an age where I **have** to just 'grow up'? Can I not be who I am anymore? Am I not allowed to change at my pace?"

"Kuroko…no… I didn't mean it like that." Akashi said while moving towards the blue haired boy. Kuroko stepped back onto the carpet in the redhead's room and shook his head,

"Is sleeping in my own room really 'growing up'? I think it's just splitting apart. Does that mean…You don't want to be with me?" He asked.

"No, that's not it. Kuroko…You're not listenin—"

"Do you hate me, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko interrupted. He felt tears sting his eyes as he did his best to keep eye contact with the redhead.

"Oh god, no! kuroko…" Akashi grabbed onto the blue haired boy's arm and tried to pull him into a hug but Kuroko rejected it by pushing him away. They both slipped on the smooth carpet and fell to the ground.

Their eyes were wide when they noticed that their lips were touching. Akashi was surprised at first but he held the blue haired boy, who had fallen on top of the redhead and closed his eyes. The tears in Kuroko's eyes fell onto the redhead's cheeks as he closed his eyes as well. The accidental kiss made their boiling emotions cool down so they were bubbling with love and when they pulled away, both of them remembered everything.

Akashi raised his hand and rested it on the blue haired boy's cheek. The redhead smiled and asked, "Do you remember me?"

Kuroko couldn't form words so he just nodded and then leaned his head on Akashi's chest.

"I'm sorry." Kuroko muttered.

"For what?" The redhead asked while stroking the blue hair in front of him.

The blue haired boy laughed slightly, "For being born stubborn."

Akashi smiled and said, "It's alright. I like you as a stubborn person. You wouldn't be Kuroko Tetsuya if you weren't stubborn, especially when it comes to winning basketball."

After a while, the two of them went out and got their tattoo without Akashi's parents knowing and then they had to act like best friends until they were able to move out. Finally, when Kuroko graduated high school, he moved into the redhead's apartment and from there they started to go on more dates.

After many years, the blue haired boy passed away, followed by Akashi a few years after that.

**Author's Note:**

**I'm going on vacation soon, for two weeks **

**I don't want to leave you guys *cries* I'll come back with a beautiful chapter (maybe). I'll at least come back with a chapter, maybe two. Or if I'm a good girl, I'll post one before I leave. I leave on August 3****rd**** and I come back on the 15****th**** *dying dolphin noises***

**See you later.**


	15. Life 15

Kuroko worked for twelve years as a psychiatrist and he had heard many different stories from people. The blue haired boy felt upset every day when he came back from work and would write down the things that his patients told him, thinking that if he wrote them down, they would be emptied from his mind. The blue haired boy didn't hate his job, he loved being able to help as much as possible. But the people he came across sometimes had the most heart wringing, tear jerking lives.

Then there was Akashi Seijuro. Kuroko didn't understand why the redhead came to him for help, but all he did was sleep and he refused to tell the blue haired boy anything. As always, Akashi entered his office at eight o'clock. He grinned at his doctor and said, "Hey Tetsuya."

"Hello Akashi-kun, I'm guessing you want the usual." Kuroko said with a monotone voice.

The redhead's smile grew as he lay down on the couch in Kuroko's office and said, "Yes, please."

Kuroko disappeared to a closet and came back with a pillow and a blanket. Once Akashi was completely tucked in, he said, "Now Tetsuya, do your thing."

The blue haired boy sighed and said, "Today I woke up at four thirty in the morning and went out to a café for my breakfast coffee. Then when I got to my office, I opened my files on my patients, checked my schedule and started working. I met with the usual patients today and during my break I…"

Kuroko paused and looked over at the redhead. Akashi was fast asleep; he clutched onto the blanket and was curled up to stay warm. The blue haired boy turned back to his desk and wrote down his observations of Akashi during the session. It was the same as usual; the redhead would walk in with that stupid grin and then ask Kuroko to talk to him about his day until he fell asleep, then the blue haired boy would wake him up at the end of his session, which was closing time and they would walk to the subway together. When they had first met, Akashi had begged the blue haired boy to fix him, but afterwards, the redhead just came in to sleep. He didn't tell a single word to Kuroko about what was wrong. Of course the blue haired boy knew that Akashi was probably preparing himself to tell Kuroko everything; but it's been six months and the redhead didn't show any signs of opening up soon. The blue haired boy stared at Akashi's sleeping face for a while and then woke him up at ten o'clock. The redhead woke up immediately and heard Kuroko say,

"Akashi-kun, it's time to wake up. I have to lock up the office."

Akashi opened his eyes and quickly wrapped his arm around the blue haired boy's neck.

Kuroko was always a late reactor and before he knew it, the redhead had pulled him in and was kissing him.

The blue haired boy waited for Akashi to pull away and then Kuroko whacked him on the head with a book.

"I told you to stop doing that. I'm your doctor." The blue haired boy muttered while rubbing his lips to get rid of Akashi's taste.

Akashi smiled, "Doesn't matter how many time you reject me. I'll get your to date me one day."

"I can't—"

"Date a patient. I know, I know." The redhead finished Kuroko's sentence as if he did so every day.

"Well if you know, stop kissing me." The blue haired boy said. The redhead slowly got up, folded the blanket he was using and put it back in the closet. Akashi picked up his cellphone and wallet and smiled at his doctor.

"Let's go." The redhead said. Kuroko lead him out of the building and locked the doors after making sure the windows were closed and locked. The two of them got on the subway train together and waited for their stop. They both lived near each other so it wasn't strange for them to go home together. While sitting in the subway train, Kuroko asked,

"How was work?"

The redhead grunted, "Same as always. Sit at a desk and organize papers."

"You know sometimes a doctor doesn't always help. You should try other methods." Kuroko said.

"Like what?" Akashi asked the blue haired boy.

The doctor sighed and said, "I heard from other doctors that love is a good solution sometimes."

The redhead fell silent after hearing Kuroko say that and a few minutes later, he whispered in an almost inaudible voice, "I love you…"

Kuroko continued on without knowing what the redhead had said and when they got to their stop, they went their separate ways.

The next day was pretty much the same. Kuroko waited patiently until his watch notified him that it was eight o'clock. He called in the next patient and went to the closet to get out the blanket and pillow.

"Oh Tetsuya, you're ready for me this time." The redhead said while accepting the blanket and pillow from Kuroko and moving to lie down on the couch. The blue haired boy sat down by his desk and said,

"I figured you would want the same as usual."

Akashi tucked himself in and turned to look at his doctor's face. Their eyes locked and both of them exchanged a stare that burned each other. Kuroko was the first to snap out of their eye contact. He quickly looked away and said,

"Today I woke up a bit later than usual and I was feeling exhausted. I went to go grab my morning coffee, only to spill it over some papers when I got to work. As I tended to my patients, I continued to feel tired and found myself feeling dizzy. I tried to sleep during the times when I was free, but I usually have a patient every other hour. Each session felt longer than usual and…"

The blue haired boy looked at Akashi and saw that the redhead was still wide awake and that he was frowning.

"What?" Kuroko asked, "I'm telling you about my day like I always do. Why aren't you sleeping?"

"You have a cold." Akashi stated, "Or you're sleep deprived; probably overworking yourself, am I right?"

The blue haired boy scoffed, "Since when did you become my doctor?"

Akashi got up and pulled the blue haired boy closer. The redhead gently placed his hand on Kuroko's forehead to feel his temperature and he said, "Since when did you stop being a doctor? You should know the symptoms of a cold." Akashi's concerned expression made the blue haired boy upset; he wasn't supposed ot make his patients feel worried. Kuroko smiled slightly and said,

"I'm fine. I'll be fine for today. I'll take tomorrow off if it gets worse, okay?"

The redhead nodded and then tucked himself under the blanket again. In a few minutes, Akashi was fast asleep and the blue haired boy was left to doze off at his desk as well. Kuroko slept through his alarm that told him to wake up Akashi and close up the office. The redhead, on the other hand, woke up right away, folded the blanket and put it away in the closet.

Akashi watched the blue haired boy sleep with his head resting on his arms. The redhead smoothly leaned in and let his lips meet Kuroko's. The kiss was warm and soft and it made Akashi happy. When the redhead pulled away, his eyes locked with those blue ones.

Kuroko was still half asleep when their eyes met, but he quickly came back to his senses. The blue haired boy whacked Akashi on the head with a book and said, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop that? I can't date a patient."

The redhead smiled, "I know…Let's go home."

Kuroko sighed, knowing that Akashi wouldn't listen to him, so he closed the office and went home with the redhead. On the subway, the blue haired boy let his eyes close for a second and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep on Akashi's shoulder. The redhead stayed as still as possible for Kuroko and lightly brushed his hair with his fingertips. When their stop was approaching, Akashi shook the blue haired boy awake and they both got off the train.

"Go to sleep early, okay?" Akashi said before they parted. The blue haired boy gave the redhead a small nod before they went their separate ways as usual.

The next day, Kuroko felt a lot better. The redhead was right when he told Kuroko to go to sleep earlier and he reminded himself to thank his patient during his session later. However, when Akashi's session came around, the redhead lifelessly trudged into the room and fell onto the couch. Kuroko came back with the blanket and pillow to see the redhead already sleeping on the couch. The blue haired boy was able to tell that something happened; most likely while Akashi had been working. Kuroko sat at his desk and observed the redhead sleeping in front of him. The blue haired boy scribbled down in his notes:

_Akashi-kun seems very down today. He did not say anything while coming into the room and did not have his usual smile. Akashi-kun went straight to the couch and fell asleep without my aid of talking about my day…_

The blue haired boy paused there when he heard Akashi mumble in his sleep. Kuroko lightly tapped his pen against the notebook and saw that the redhead seemed to be having a nightmare. The redhead muttered,

"Don't die. Don't die."

Tears streamed down Akashi's face as he desperately clutched the blanket and winced as if something was hurting him.

"Don't die. Please, don't die…Tetsuya…" The redhead whispered.

Kuroko quickly threw his notebook down on the ground and moved towards his patient. The blue haired boy lightly shook Akashi awake and said,

"It's time to wake up, Akashi-kun."

The redhead's eyes snapped open at those words and he said, "Huh? What?"

Kuroko got him a cup of water and said, "You were having a nightmare."

Akashi took the glass of water and then wiped away his tears. The blue haired boy didn't like seeing Akashi like this. The moment the redhead woke up, he would always **always** steal a kiss from Kuroko (no exceptions). The blue haired boy felt strange; he wasn't used to Akashi being so closed up. The redhead never told Kuroko about anything and all of the sudden, he had stopped any kind of communication.

"Akashi-kun, you've got to tell me what's wrong if you want me to fix it." Kuroko said.

The redhead sighed, "I know Tetsuya. It's just…hard to do that."

The doctor frowned and then picked up his notebook from the ground and said, "Start with your nightmare. You were mumbling for me not to die. What does that mean?"

The redhead hesitated and Kuroko was able to tell that Akashi was working up some sort of lie in his head, "I…uh…I don't know."

"Tell me the truth."

"I just had this strange dream where we me café, became a couple and then you died and I was left all alone." The redhead admitted, "There was another time when we were playing basketball and you got sick…and I visited you at the hospital because we were dating. Then you passed away."

When Kuroko finished scribbling down what was happening, he asked, "Is this the first time this happened?"

The redhead shook his head and said, "I've had these strange memories ever since I was little, so when I saw you…"

"You begged me to fix you because you knew I was the one in your memories." Kuroko finished the redhead's sentence. Akashi nodded and then got up,

"I'm going to leave early today…" He said.

Kuroko quickly stood up, "I'll go with you. You're my last patient anyway."

The redhead frowned, "I'd rather go alone, Tetsuya."

The blue haired boy paused and then said, "Alright."

When Akashi was gone, the blue haired boy felt strange. He didn't like the feeling that the redhead gave him.

The next day, the redhead came in late and fell asleep on the couch. Akashi completely ignored the blue haired boy and Kuroko never got a chance to say anything since the redhead would fall asleep immediately. When Kuroko woke the redhead up, Akashi didn't even kiss the blue haired boy, he just got up and left.

For a whole week, they didn't talk to each other and Kuroko continued to feel more and more negative feelings. The blue haired boy didn't know what he did or what he didn't do. When Akashi left, the blue haired boy quickly closed the office and ran after him. They took the same train, but didn't talk to each other and when it was their stop, Kuroko ran after Akashi instead of going his way home. The blue haired boy grabbed onto Akashi's hand and said,

"Akashi-kun, you're acting strange. Ever since that day a week ago when you had that nightmare. You don't even greet me, you've stopped smiling, you don't even kiss me when you wake up. It's throwing me off because you won't tell me anything."

The redhead seemed surprised at first and he asked, "You put that I don't kiss you on the list. Does that mean that me not kissing you is affecting you?"

Kuroko yelled, "Of course it does! If you make a routine where you kiss me every day when you wake up and then suddenly break it, of course it would affect me! Think about what you're doing to me when you just stop kissing me. It's like I'm missing something every day now!"

The redhead chuckled, "You know…That sounded a lot like a love confession."

"Eh? A…Love confession? No. It's just strange when you break a routine." Kuroko said awkwardly while looking off to the side.

Akashi smiled and said, "Then…I'll give your routine back to you."

The blue haired boy was confused with Akashi's words and more confused when he felt the redhead tug him closer. Akashi wrapped his arm around the blue haired boy's waist and kissed him.

Kuroko's eyes were wide; this kiss was different than every other one. It was more passionate, the emotions were laced in between their lips as they kissed. The blue haired boy accepted the kiss and threw his arms around Akashi's neck to pull him closer. Suddenly, Akashi was pulled Kuroko after him and walking towards his apartment. The redhead threw his door open and pressed Kuroko against it to kiss him. They pushed and pulled at each other until Kuroko fell onto the bed. When the blue hared boy felt Akashi's hand sliding up his shirt, Kuroko said,

"Stop. Akashi-kun…stop, now."

The redhead immediately halted his actions and sat back to make sure Kuroko didn't feel uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry…I just…can't. I'm really sorry. But I'm a doctor and you're my patient." He said while trying to catch his breath.

Akashi smiled gently, "It's alright. I get it. Want me to walk you home? Or do you want to stay here tonight? I promise, I won't touch you inappropriately if you stay."

Kuroko didn't want to leave the redhead, but he knew that staying would be a bad idea. The blue haired boy hesitated but he eventually said, "I want to stay with you…but I know I shouldn't. I feel so confused, Akashi-kun. I want to do what I can't and I've never felt like this before."

The redhead was able to tell Kuroko was really frustrated with himself so he hugged him and whispered, "It's alright to want things. It's okay to feel confused. You'll figure out your answer soon. Go to sleep, Tetsuya."

The blue haried boy held onto Akashi and nuzzled his face into the redhead's chest. Eventually, Kuroko fell asleep in the redhead's arms and Akashi fell asleep as well.

After that day, things seemed to have gone back to normal. Akashi and Kuroko grew closer together and their love for each other was obvious, however the blue haired boy made sure to follow the rules as a doctor.

"Akashi-kun, it's time to wake up. It's closing time." Kuroko said whiling shaking the redhead awake. His patient slowly opened his eyes and pulled the blue haired boy down to kiss him. Akashi received a whack to the head with a book and Kuroko said,

"I already told you. I can't date a-"

"I know." Akashi started, "You can't date a patient, but… could you marry one?"

The blue haired boy gaped at Akashi as he got up from the couch and got down on one knee. The redhead reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a silver ring. Kuroko stared as the redhead slipped the ring onto his finger. The blue haired boy felt tears streaming down his face, but he couldn't find any words.

"Tetsuya…Will you marry me?" Akashi asked.

Kuroko sobbed as he knew he couldn't marry the redhead, even though he wanted to. Akashi quickly got up when he noticed he was upsetting the blue haired boy and wiped away his tears and said, "I'm sorry…Perhaps I put too much pressure on you even though I knew you would have to say no."

Kuroko gave into want, grabbed the redhead's shirt and kissed him, "Yes. Yes, I will marry you."

"You'll probably have to quit your job though…" Akashi said.

The blue haired boy laughed, "I'll find another one. I just want you."

When they got married, both of them regained their memories. Kuroko got a job as a teacher instead and they both got their fifteenth tattoo.

"Seijuro, can you believe that we only have 85 years left together?" Kuroko asked while lying down beside the redhead.

"Time goes by fast. But, you know, nobody said that we would stop seeing each other after 100 lives. Maybe we'll cross paths…" Akashi said.

"Maybe…" The blue haired boy knew that the chances were slim that they'd meet again after their 100 lifetimes together, but if there was a chance, they would both believe in it.

After many years, Akashi passed away and during that same year, Kuroko did as well.

_Today, Akashi-kun walked into the office and seemed troubled about something. He wouldn't tell me what and went to sleep on the couch as usual. I wish I could tell him how much I love him, but being a doctor prevents me from saying such things. Watching him smile is like a blessing and his face when he's sleeping is very peaceful. When I woke Akashi-kun up, he tried to kiss me again and I hit him on the head with a book…again. Then, he got down on one knee…and proposed to me. _

_I didn't know why he would propose to someone like me. If we were to get married I would have to quit my job and I knew it would be hard on Akashi-kun to support us. I cried as he put the ring on my finger, how embarrassing. I hope I'm enough for Akashi-kun. Even though I may be a mess and I'm stubborn, indecisive and maybe a bit strange, I hope I can be enough to love Akashi-kun._

**Author's Note:**

**Hey! It's like 1am here and I'm dying because I really wanted to get this chapter out before leaving for vacation. So here it is! My fingers were typing like mad. The last part is Kuroko writing about his observations about Akashi the day when he proposed. No tumblr for 2 weeks! What am I going to do? I'll be scrolling down that dashboard for years when I come back. **

**See you later!**


	16. Life 16

"Tetsuya, wait up!" The redhead called after his blue haired friend. Kuroko turned around, his cheeks were covered in red splotches. Akashi laughed and wiped away the stains, "People are going to think you're covered in blood if you don't clean the paint off of your face…and everywhere else." He said while looking down at the blue haired boy's clothes which were covered in different colours of paint.

"I'm an art student…It's hard to stay clean when I'm painting, sketching or sculpting." Kuroko said as he let the redhead wipe away the paint on his neck, hands, forehead, nose and arms.

Akashi smiled when he wiped away the last bit of red paint, "So what are you working on this time? It's definitely red."

The blue haired boy opened his sketchbook and showed his friend the rough copy of his painting. Akashi saw a sketch of himself, his red hair was flying in the wind and he had baby blue wings sprouting from his back and the wings were spread out, as if they were reaching for the sky.

"It's a really rough sketch," Kuroko said, "so it might look a bit strange. But the painting itself will look better."

"It's beautiful. But why me?" The redhead asked.

The blue haired boy showed his rare smile and said, "You're my best friend and I'm always able to draw you since we're together a lot. I hope you don't mind."

Akashi shook his head, "I don't mind at all."

"Can you model for me then?" The blue haired boy asked, his sapphire eyes sparkling. The redhead couldn't resist the happiness shining in his friend's eyes so he said,

"Of course. Anything for my best friend, however, you have to tell me the story behind the painting."

Kuroko and Akashi walked to the closest bench to talk and the blue haired boy went on forever to explain his thoughts about the painting.

"So you were a great warrior and you fought for your loved one. You were strong, confident and very trustworthy, except many people looked down on you because you weren't a noble."

Akashi grunted, "Sounds complicated."

The blue haired boy gave a devilish smile, "It gets worse. You fought in many wars and you were an amazing fighter. The kingdom acknowledged your talents and took you in. Your loved one was the hair to the throne, so you two had a Romeo and Juliet kind of love. Both of you were so madly in love that you found ways to be together without being seen, but you were never to be together to the public eyes. During a war, you were killed. As you fell on the battlefield, you saw the devil preparing to take you to hell for all the people you've killed. However, while the devil was dragging you, your loved one sacrificed…herself to give you the wings of an angel. You watched as your loved one was dragged into hell and you ascended into heaven."

The redhead had a confused expression on his face and he said, "What are you doing to me, Tetsuya? That's not a happy ending… It's amazing you thought about that though. You should add my loved one in the painting being dragged to hell and we should be grabbing for each other. It'll add to the story."

"Nah, your loved one will ruin the picture." Kuroko said while sipping his cup of coffee.

"Gee, thanks Tetsuya. It's nice to know that the one I love is so hideous that she can't be in the picture." The redhead said.

The blue haired boy laughed and then looked at his watch, "I have to go. I'm only on break, I have to continue the painting. I haven't painted you yet, just the background. I'll call you in to model when I need you. See you at the dorm later, kay?"

Akashi smiled and waved at his friend, "See you later."

Kuroko sat in art class with a thin paintbrush, he lightly brushed on green paint to create the grass, which broke apart and fell to create the pit to hell. Hell was portrayed as dark bits of grey and red, as if fire was bursting out and blood was being splattered. Kuroko suddenly felt as if it would become a disaster; he didn't like the feeling he got from the painting, the more he painted, the more he hated it. In frustration, Kuroko dropped his paintbrush and left his painting to look at something else to ease his mind. He flipped through his sketchbook and looked at his other art pieces. Most were of Akashi studying, sitting, eating, smiling or laughing; sometimes angry because Kuroko was always drawing him and the redhead was always telling the blue haired boy to draw something else. Kuroko had captured every moment of his best friend on paper. The blue haired boy smiled at his sketches of Akashi and then went back to work.

When class ended, Kuroko trudged back to his room to see Akashi studying at his desk.

"Goodnight." The blue haired boy mumbled as he prepared to collapse on his bed. The redhead quickly grabbed Kuroko before he fell onto the bed and pushed him into the shower.

"Don't you dare get paint on your bed. Take a bath." Akashi ordered the blue haired boy.

Kuroko whined but let the redhead undress him and throw him in the bathtub.

"What would you do without me, Tetsuya?" The redhead asked while rubbing shampoo into Kuroko's hair.

"I'd probably die from loneliness…" The blue haired boy mumbled, half asleep.

Akashi stopped and remembered what the blue haired boy was like when they had first met. Kuroko kept to himself and was always alone. Most people thought he was a freak because he wasn't so responsive. The blue haired boy had been abandoned by his father because Kuroko had chosen arts instead of medical school or law school. The blue haired boy's mother had passed away from sickness and the blue haired boy was left with his mother's fortune to survive through university.

Kuroko's art at first was filled with pain; it was dark and there was barely any colour to it. When Akashi saw those paintings, he told the blue haired boy,

"I really love your paintings, they bring an immense amount of emotion. Except, those emotions are always pain; I wish to see more happiness from you. What's your name?"

The blue haired boy had run away when Akashi said that because he was embarrassed to even have to face another person, but the second time they met, Kuroko wrote his name down on a piece of paper.

"Kuroko Tetsuya…That's a nice name. I'm sorry if I scared you before. I talk a lot and I heard from my friends that I might have scared you since you're so introverted. It's just that your paintings were so amazing that I needed to tell you and…I should probably stop talking now…"

The blue haired boy had laughed for the first time in years and said, "It's alright and I took your advice to add more happiness in my paintings. Would you like to see them?"

Ever since that day, the two of them stuck to each other like glue and Kuroko only expressed his feelings to Akashi and in his art.

The redhead continued to wash his best friend, who had fallen asleep in the tub. Akashi sighed, "I'm not going to mother you for your whole life…"

Kuroko mumbled incoherent words as the redhead dried him off and carried him to his bed. The blue haired boy curled up and Akashi quickly pulled some clothes onto Kuroko's naked body. When the redhead was done, he stood back to admire his work, which was a fully clothed, washed and sleeping Kuroko. Akashi felt his face heat up when he saw the blue haired boy look so adorable, but he quickly dismissed the thought of Kuroko looking cute and went back to studying.

The next day, when Akashi woke up, the blue haired boy was already gone. The redhead smiled when he saw that Kuroko had made breakfast for him. The blue haired boy always made breakfast for Akashi, no matter what. When Kuroko had art history, the redhead had chemistry and the only time they met during the day was when Kuroko had his break during painting class.

The blue haired boy saw Akashi waiting for him in front of his class when he went on break and Kuroko said, "Good thing you came for me. Can you model today?"

"Sure." The redhead said while putting down his things. Akashi was kneeling on the ground in front of the blue haired boy and let Kuroko position him. The redhead's hands were reaching towards the ground, as if he was trying to grab something and his face was angled downwards but his expression was still visible. Kuroko quickly sketched his friend and then wrote notes to figure out how he would add colour. Akashi watched the blue haired boy work and then he had to leave to study. Kuroko painted the warrior into the painting. The warrior was bloodied and crying. He was fading away where his hair was flying in the wind and the baby blue wings angled towards the sky. The blue haired boy painted the sky with light colours to make sure the warrior was the key. Kuroko admired his work and when he felt happy with it, he left to go back to his dorm.

The blue haired boy greeted Akashi and then hopped into the bathtub. After a while, Kuroko fell asleep in the warm water, except he trusted the redhead to check on him before he possibly drowned.

Akashi walked into the bathroom after a while to check on the blue haired boy. The redhead sighed when he saw that Kuroko had fallen asleep. He dried off his friend and clothes him before tucking him into bed. Kuroko smiled slightly and whispered, "Thank you, Akashi-kun."

"You were awake?" The redhead asked.

The blue haired boy sat up and laughed, "Yeah, I just didn't want to move."

Akashi turned his attention back to his studies, "You're such a jerk."

After a few minutes, the redhead felt Kuroko's arms wrap around him.

"Tetsuya, what are you doing?"

"Trying to show you that I mean it. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for being here with me." The blue haired boy said.

Akashi smiled and hugged his friend back, which surprised the blue haired boy, "No problem. Now go to sleep."

The blue haired boy refused to move, "Too lazy, Akashi-kun. I don't want to move…"

The redhead laughed and then picked Kuroko up to toss him back on the bed. When Akashi let go of the blue haired boy, Kuroko pulled his friend down so that they were close. The redhead swallowed thickly as he suddenly became aware of how close they were, more importantly, how close their lips were. Kuroko searched for the redhead's emotions in his eyes; his crimson eyes glistened with want and Kuroko was aware of it. The blue haired boy lightly closed his eyes to let Akashi know that he could take what he wanted. The redhead hesitated, but throwing all his fears away, Akashi leaned in and lightly pressed his lips to Kuroko's.

The blue haired boy flinched at the touch, feeling nervous himself, but he accepted the feelings and his hands slowly travelled up to thread through Akashi's hair. The redhead groaned and also let his hands roam around Kuroko's body, causing the blue haired boy to shiver at the touch Akashi was able to feel his friend's fear, so he pulled away and said,

"You're afraid."

Kuroko held onto the redhead and blushed, "Of course I am! Nobody has ever touched me like this before and I've never felt like this before either."

The redhead chuckled at how honest Kuroko was and lightly stroked his hair, "Are you scared of me?" He asked.

Kuroko shook his head frantically and held onto the redhead tighter, "I'm not scared. Just kind of…surprised. I want this though and I can tell that you do too."

The redhead smiled, "You were always good at reading emotions."

Akashi leaned in and kissed the blue haired boy again and again until Kuroko was unable to say anything. Eventually, the blue haired boy couldn't think straight and he was only able to moan and hold onto Akashi.

Kuroko woke up early in the morning, still encased in the redhead's arms. Their clothes were discarded on the ground and the blue haired boy squirmed to crawl out of Akashi's embrace. The redhead woke up from all the movement and mumbled,

"Good morning, Tetsuya."

"Good morning, Akashi-kun. I have to make breakfast then get to class, so if you could just…let go." Kuroko said while squirming. The redhead laughed and let go of the art student so that he could get ready for the day. Before the blue haired boy left, he lightly kissed Akashi on the cheek and said,

"I'll see you later, 'kay?"

The redhead felt his face heat up and he nodded, "Okay."

Kuroko finished his painting by touching up some places and by taking the redhead's advice, he painted the loved one onto the canvas. Suddenly, he was called to the main campus because someone was waiting for him.

The blue haired boy saw his father waiting for him with a frown on his face. Kuroko turned to run away but his father caught up to him and grabbed him, "I've come to take you back. I think I let this 'dream' go on long enough. You're smarter than this. You shouldn't waste your talents on painting. We're going home."

The blue haired boy shook his head and tried to pull away from his father's iron grip, "I can't! You can't just pull me out of university."

His dad smirked, "Well I am, so deal with it."

Kuroko struggled against his father's will. _I'm twenty, I should be able to do what I want. _The blue haired boy thought, until he felt pain sting his right cheek. His father raised his hand again to hit him; Kuroko flinched away with his eyes closed tight. The blue haired boy felt someone's warmth envelop him and a familiar scent surround him. When Kuroko opened his eyes, he saw that Akashi was there and holding his father's wrist to prevent him from hitting the blue haired boy. The redhead had his arm firmly around Kuroko and he whispered, "It's alright."

The blue haired boy's father tried to pull Kuroko away from Akashi, "Who are you and what are you to my son?"

Akashi felt the blue haired boy tremble slightly, "My name is Akashi Seijuro and I'm your son's roommate. I'm a student in the science program. I was passing by and I saw my friend in trouble; what are you doing here? It's not normal for a parent to be here at this time of the year."

"I'm taking my son back. He's wasting his time here." The blue haired boy's father said. Kuroko knew that once his father made up his mind, there was no changing it, "I suggest you let go of my son. He belongs to me."

Akashi felt anger bubbling in him but the blue haired boy interrupted before anything got bad, "I'll go with you. I don't wish for you two to fight. I'm going to go pack my things. Father, wait here and don't move or follow me."

Kuroko walked to his dorm with the redhead close behind him.

"Tetsuya, you can't really be thinking of leaving, right?"

"My father will do anything to get me to do what he wants and he has enough money to do so. Akashi-kun, I knew this would happen one day and I thought I was prepared for it before, but after I met you…I don't know…I'm kind of afraid to leave. You make me happy and I want to stay with you. The time I spent with you made me realize what love is. I love you, Akashi-kun and as much as I love you, I have to leave you." The blue haired boy said while packing his bags.

The redhead grabbed Kuroko and hugged him, "Don't go….Tetsuya, please…"

Kuroko held onto the redhead tightly and said, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. Akashi-kun, please don't make it any harder for me and take care of me until the end."

The redhead reluctantly let go of Kuroko and helped him pack his bags. Akashi walked his best friend to the car and smiled sadly, "I love you, Tetsuya. We'll see each other again. I'll find you."

Kuroko grinned and kissed the redhead, even if his father saw him, "Or maybe I'll find you."

Akashi kissed the blue haired boy's forehead and then glared at his father. Kuroko's father was too stunned by the fact that they had kissed, so he didn't pay attention to Akashi but he just left with Kuroko without a word.

The redhead spent the rest of his university years without Kuroko, but he was able to keep the blue haired boy's art. Akashi walked in the dark classroom to look at the painting that the blue haired boy had created. He threw the white cover off of the canvas and sobbed when he saw the painting.

The warrior in the painting was bloodied and crying as he was being lifted by baby blue wings. He was fading away where his hair flew in the wing and the large pale wings angled towards the sky. Akashi looked at what the warrior was reaching for and saw the spitting image of Kuroko falling into hell, also crying and reaching up for the warrior. The two lovers faced each other, pain streaking their expressions. The warrior watched his loved one fall into the depths of hell, but no matter how much pain it caused the warrior, he never looked away from his loved one. The loved one had a sad smile, almost as if he was happy that his loved one was able to be sent to heaven. He faced the warrior in the painting as if to say the forbidden words, "I love you" as the ground crumbled around them on the battlefield.

The redhead remembered the story that Kuroko had told him and he muttered to himself, "My loved one sacrificed himself to give me the wings of an angel…and I watched him be dragged to hell in my place."

Akashi took the painting with him and looked at it every day to remind himself of the blue haired boy.

A few years later, when Akashi graduated, he moved into an apartment. The landlord gave him a tour around the room and then said, "Watch out for your neighbour, he's a bit…strange. He doesn't really talk at all and he hates having people around."

"I'm sure people misunderstand him. I should still greet him, he is my neighbour after all." The redhead said. The landlord just shrugged and left.

Akashi lightly knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Who is it?" Someone called out on the other side.

"I'm your new neighbour and I just thought I'd stop by to say hello." The redhead said.

Akashi heard multiple locks being unlocked on the other side and the door swung open slowly. A blue haired boy kept his eyes glued to the ground and offered his hand shyly and said,

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya."

Akashi smiled at the sight of the blue haired boy who had grown taller and had reverted to his shy self. The redhead felt tears streaming down his face and he hugged Kuroko.

"It's nice to meet you too. My name is Akashi Seijuro." He whispered in the blue haired boy's ear. Kuroko was able to smell that familiar scent and he held onto the redhead with his eyes wide.

"Akashi-kun…Akashi-kun…I'm so sorry. I thought I wouldn't see you again."

"It's okay, Tetsuya. I'm right here. It's alright." The redhead said while rubbing Kuroko's back. The blue haired cried when he felt Akashi's hands caressing his face, "I'm so sorry. I'm…sorry." Kuroko cried while nuzzled his face into the redhead's hands. "I'm sorry for leaving."

Akashi smiled and brushed away the blue haired boy's tears, "No more apologizing. You haven't even done anything wrong. What have you been doing these past few years?"

The blue haired boy led Akashi into his apartment and showed him his diploma, "I graduated as a doctor and then disappeared so that my father wouldn't find me."

Akashi left to grab something from his apartment and then came back with a canvas, "This is yours."

The blue haired boy uncovered it and smiled, "Thanks. I almost forgot what it looked like."

Akashi watched the blue haired boy observe his own painting and then the redhead carried Kuroko like he used to in university after a bath.

"What the…Akashi-kun, what are you doing?" The blue haired boy exclaimed as he was tossed onto the bed.

Akashi pressed down and kissed the blue haired boy. Kuroko leaned into the redhead to feel more of what he had missed for years.

Their memories were sparked and the redhead quickly pulled away. Kuroko laughed a bit and then hugged Akashi.

"It's been a while, Seijuro." The blue haired boy said. They went to get their tattoo and then decided to move to a house together. They kept Kuroko's painting in the house and spent the red of their time travelling all around the world.

Akashi passed away first and a few years after that, Kuroko passed away as well.

Kuroko's painting was found in their house and was hung in a museum for the tragic storyline and beautiful art style.

**Author's Note:**

**Andddd I'm back! I wrote 8-10 chapters during my vacation, so expect a lot of updates.**

**I kinda wanted to draw the painting that Kuroko painted. I don't really have drawing skills…hehehe**

**But you know, if you guys want to draw something that'd be awesome! I like seeing drawings. Especially fanart, cause fanart is really cool and just so cute. I'm talking a lot because I missed you guys. Oh yeah, if you guys want ma tumblr, it's this thing **

** .com**

**Cause, you can message me. I'm lonely.**

**See ya in the next one**


	17. Life 17

"Akashi, we won't survive the storm!" Aomine yelled at the insane captain. Their ship was heading straight into one of the deadliest storms they had ever seen, "Our ship and crew won't make it!"

A sword was pointed straight at Aomine's nose and the red haired captain yelled, "We are known as the Generation of Miracles! Why? Because we have survived every storm and every ambush with this piece of shit of a ship and my trusty crew. Have I ever led you into a storm which we haven't survived? I said we'll live, so we'll live. We're going straight into that storm!"

The crew nodded and went to work. Midorima, the first mate, followed the redhead to the captain's headquarters and said, "This must be the work of the magician. I heard she's able to cast a storm strong enough to destroy a city if it's to save her village. She obviously doesn't want to be found."

Akashi smirked, "She's probably a mother. Mothers are protective of their children, however, casting this storm was stupid because now I know that the great mage is just beyond this storm."

Midorima looked ahead at the large grey clouds which were drawing closer. He never understood the captain, but since Akashi was always right, there was never anyone who questioned him.

"What do you plan to do with the mage?" He asked the redhead.

Akashi took off his captain's hat and said, "I plan to use her powers to make us even stronger. We'll be the greatest ship out there and unstoppable."

"How will we even know who the magician is? It's not like there are pictures of her. It's like she's even a girl." Midorima stated.

Akashi laughed, "I'll know her when I see her. Let's just get through this storm."

Before they entered the storm, Kise, the oldest of the crew reminded the rest of the old legend Akashi used to tell them,

"Akashicchi says that legends have told tales of a beautiful girl with the bluest eyes and the prettiest face who had the powers of a witch. That girl is the most powerful mage in the world, even more powerful than I; and she's a princess. We'll find her and she'll make us invincible!"

The rest of the crew shouted out in agreement as they drove straight into the storm.

The village in the eye of the storm was in a panic. Villagers were demanding an explanation from their princess and she tried her best to explain.

"Princess, what is going on?! Why have you raised the storm barriers?"

The girl had blonde hair that flowed over her shoulders and down to her waist and blue eyes that sparkled like the sea, she looked worried as she said, "We are about to be invaded by pirates. Please stay in your homes."

When the villagers left the kingdom to go back to the safety of their homes, the princess pulled her wig off and sighed, "What am I going to do?"

"Prince Tetsuya…perhaps you should just tell your people that you're not a beautiful girl but a beautiful boy." Kuroko's guard said with a grin.

"Kagami-kun, I'd love it if you didn't tease me at the moment. Pretending to be a girl hides me as the world's greatest magician. I can pull your blood out from your body with a flick of the wrist, so shush, I'm thinking." The boy said. His blue eyes shined brightly and his short blue hair was messed up from being hidden under a wig. He wore a dress, which was greatly uncomfortable for a guy with a stuffed bra.

"Is it hard being a girl?" Kagami asked, his grin spreading wider.

"Kagami-kun…" Kuroko warned, "These pirates are serious. They're the Generation of Miracles. I heard that their captain is a vicious beast that shows no mercy and is kind of insane. We have to be careful."

The blue haired boy's guard held a serious expression and nodded, then he left to prepare their soldiers. Kuroko swore to protect his village and he was prepared to die for it. The magician was not ready to see his loved ones die again in front of him.

The blue haired boy changed out of the dress so he was able to blend into the crowd as he knew that the pirates would be searching for a girl within the kingdom.

Akashi stood in the heavy rain and pushed his crew to go straight into the storm.

"Ryouta! Use your magic to make the storm less severe. Tell Atsushi to raise the barriers!" The redhead snapped orders.

The blonde nodded and worked with the taller purple haired boy. The waves crashed against the boat and Akashi pulled his sword out,

"I, Akashi Seijuro, use the demon sword to cut this storm in two and lead me to the light." He muttered and then slashed his sword to make a direct path through the storm.

Kuroko stared horrified from his tower as a beam of light split his storm, "The demon sword… But that's supposed to be with my grandfather…" He said and then focused on the ship.

Akashi, his crew and ship had an easy route through the storm as they began to pass through it. The blue haired boy stared at the waves that had split for the ship and tried to force them to crush the ship, however Murasakibara's barriers kept the ship form letting the waves break it.

Akashi squinted to get a better look at the village they were going to attack. He saw a small figure on top of the tower and pointed at it, "The princess is casting from there! Shoot that tower indirectly to make it fall, she better not be dead when I find her."

Aomine and Midorima nodded and they shot the cannons.

Kuroko felt the ground shake underneath his feet as the cannons hit the base of the tower. He quickly hopped down into the village to blend in.

The pirate ship hooked itself onto the island and pirates were sent out to kill. Akashi, Kise, Aomine, Midorima and Murasakibara stayed on the ship to wait until all the pawns were played out.

"Wait for them to waste their energy. Then we'll attack." Akashi said as he drew his sword.

Kuroko ran through the village and attacked any enemy he saw. It was easy, as long as his hands weren't tied or his mouth wasn't gagged. Except he was pretty sure the captain of the Generation of Miracles was aware of how to use magic and the first thing they would do is gag him and tie him up. Kuroko felt hot blood splattered onto his face from fighting and he was growing tired from using so much magic. Though spells were easy to cast within a short period of time; it did a lot of damage on the magician's body. The blue haired boy continued through the village and met up with his guardian, Kagami. The taller of the two yelled out in frustration and said,

"Kuroko, I told you to stay in the kingdom! It's easier to find you if you're out here."

The blue haired boy pointed at the tower he was normally in and when Kagami saw that it was knocked down, he said, "Okay…fine, you can follow me. But stay close to my side."

The magician nodded and let the redhead protect him as they went closer to the ship. The villagers cried and screamed as the pirates stole from them, interrogated them and killed them. Each pirate asked, "Where is the princess?" and every villager responded with, "She's in the kingdom."

Akashi couldn't wait any longer so he sent out his crew and searched for the girl. The redhead stormed through the village and killed anyone who stood in his way, even if it was his own pawns. When Akashi saw Kagami, he immediately figured that the knight was someone important. The captain smirked and asked, "Where is the princess?"

Kuroko was a few meters behind his knight when he had noticed Akashi. The blue haired boy hid and kept himself well concealed from Akashi, but the magician couldn't help but feel worried about his friend. Kagami drew his sword, even when he knew that he was no match for Akashi and said, "She's not here. I told her to hide in the kingdom."

The redhead smiled and said, "Liar."

When Akashi made a move to swing his sword and strike Kagami down; the blue haired boy moved in between them and said, "Stop."

The blade in Akashi's hand stopped in mid-air and the redhead struggled to move it. His crimson eyes met Kuroko's blue ones and they stared at each other for a second, until Kagami carried the blue haired boy off to another direction. Akashi was dazed for a second and then he yelled at his crew,

"We're not looking for a girl! The magician is a boy! Blue eyes, blue hair and he's shorter than I am. He's travelling with a tall knight with red hair. Find them!"

Kuroko struggled in his knight's arms and yelled, "My people are dying! Kagami-kun, let me go! I have to do something."

The knight held the magician tighter, "My priority is your safety. You have to be hidden."

The blue haired boy was unable to turn his gaze away from his burning city. The screams of men, women and children rang in his ears and the fire glistened in his blue eyes. Kuroko stared horrified and then jumped out of Kagami's arms. The knight chased after the magician, but the blue haired boy was light on his feet.

Kuroko saw Akashi standing alone at the entrance to his village; anger flamed inside the blue haired boy as he ran towards the captain. Akashi saw the blue haired boy in front of him, but instead of a beautiful boy, he saw a demon. Kuroko screamed as he lunged for the redhead. Akashi parried the blue haired boy's attacks, but Kuroko's movements were fast. The blue haired boy wanted the redhead to suffer, so he yelled the words, _cut, burn _or _bleed_. Akashi felt his arms and legs being cut by Kuroko's magic and he quickly moved away from the blue haired boy.

Kuroko lifted the waves of the sea to crush the captain and his ship. Kagami stared at the tsunami which the blue haired boy was forming and knew that if Kuroko used that much magic, it would hurt him.

"Kuroko, stop!" Kagami yelled as he ran towards him to tackle him and cancel the magic.

Akashi noticed this as well and ran towards Kuroko. They raced towards the mage.

The blue haired boy was blinded by anger as he brought the waves down. Akashi tackled Kuroko so that the magic was cancelled and the waves fell like rain. The captain balanced his weight on his elbows and checked the blue haired boy's condition. Kuroko groaned in exhaustion and he fainted in Akashi's arms.

When the blue haired boy woke up, he felt the ground underneath him sway from side to side.

_I must be on a boat…_ Kuroko thought, when he heard the door click open, he saw a blonde walk in with bandages. The blue haired boy passed out again.

The next time Kuroko woke up, he was chained up and somewhere cold. He heard someone in the room yelling at another person. The blue haired boy tried to eavesdrop in his horrible condition and he only got bits and pieces of sentences.

"What are you doing to him? He's not supposed to be here."

"Akashi-san, he's our prisoner."

"I'll take him to my room and then I'll kill you for your mistake. He is no prisoner."

Kuroko felt the chains on his wrists and ankles fall to the ground and then warmth surround him. The blue haired boy leaned into the warmth and heard a chuckled,

"Getting comfortable with me already?"

The magician blacked out again.

Kuroko woke up on a soft bed, wearing someone else's clothes. The blue haired boy slowly tried to get up, only to fall to the floor. The door to the room quickly opened and a blonde walked in,

"What happened?" The blonde asked as he looked around for danger.

Kuroko raised his hand and used a pushing motion. The blonde flew back into the hall and smashed into the wall behind him. The blue haired boy tried to get up again, but couldn't feel his legs. He felt someone slowly trying to help him up from behind him.

Kuroko looked behind him to see the captain helping him up. The blue haired boy yelped and moved away but Akashi grabbed the magician by the wrists and threw him onto the bed. Kuroko tried to use magic but the redhead had his hands gripped tightly and when the blue haired boy tried to use his voice, Akashi's lips closed around his. The blue haired boy let out a muffled noise as their lips touched. When the redhead pulled away, he smiled,

"Now, let's get along, princess."

"Die." Kuroko spat out, but there was no magic in it.

"Ah, ah…you can't use those strong spells in this condition of yours. You're completely harmless." Akashi crooned.

Kuroko couldn't find his voice all of the sudden as he tried to collect his thoughts on what had happened. The rest of the crew entered the room with their weapons ready and saw Kuroko and Akashi on the bed together.

Midorima blushed and said, "W-what's the meaning of this?"

Aomine whistled and put his weapon down, "Wow Akashi, didn't know you were able to get this close this fast."

"Aka-chin, you shouldn't scare someone who just woke up. He still needs to heal." Murasakibara said.

Akashi looked up and straddled the blue haired boy's hips to keep him from moving.

"Good morning to you guys too. He's dangerous, it's only normal that I would do this. He can't take us all at the same time, so it's alright."

The blue haired boy spot on Akashi's face and said, "I hate you. You burned my city."

"And you cross dress as a girl."

"You killed innocent people." Kuroko felt tears stream down his face when he reminded himself of the screams of his people.

Akashi was surprised with the tears, he didn't expect the blue haired boy to be so…squishy when it came to emotions. "We need your powers." He said.

"As if I'll use them for you. You're a monster."

"So are you." The redhead said.

Kuroko's eyes widened when the captain called him a monster and he stopped talking. The blue haired boy avoided Akashi's gaze, which made the captain smirk,

"I'm guessing that's not a good word to describe you."

When Akashi and his crew left, the blue haired boy looked out through the window and stared out at the sea. Kuroko cried when he saw the smoke in the distance from his village and trashed the room in frustration and anger.

Akashi stood outside his room and heard the blue haired boy's cried before he left to bring the magician breakfast. When the redhead unlocked the door, he saw Kuroko lying down on the ground. Akashi ran towards the limp body and checked for blood and broken bones after checking for a pulse. The blue haired had probably exhausted himself after trashing Akashi's room.

The redhead put him on the bed and tried to lightly shake him awake. The blue haired boy had a crease on his forehead from the amount of stress he always had and he never slept peacefully. Akashi knew that as a young magician, Kuroko was probably abused for his power and he lost many loved ones. Even know, the redhead knew that he was abusing Kuroko and he had burned down his loved ones. The blue haired boy would never be able to escape his life as the strongest magician in the world.

"I'm no better than the others…" The redhead muttered to himself.

Akashi felt a bit bad for the blue haired boy and making Kuroko feel safe and comfortable around him was the best way to go. The faster Kuroko grew closer to Akashi, the more willing he would be to using his powers.

Akashi placed a finger on the blue haired boy's forehead to get rid of the crease and then said, "It's not good to frown like that. You'll make a permanent crease."

Kuroko continued to sleep for a few days and the redhead continued to take care of the magician.

When the blue haired boy woke up, he saw Akashi sleeping on a chair across the room.

_Chance!_ Kuroko thought, even though he still lacked magic to cast spells, he got up and moved closer to the redhead. The blue haired boy made a blade with his hand and pointed it at the vulnerable captain.

_I have to kill him before that demon sword touches me. But…if I kill him, the demon sword will shatter and it'll take my life. Either way, I'm dying with him._

Kuroko aimed his blade at the redhead's neck and then lunged towards him.

Akashi's eyes snapped open and he quickly moved his head to the side to dodge the knife. Kuroko's wrist was grabbed and yanked on. The blue haired boy fell forward and was sitting on Akashi's lap. The captain's arms wrapped around Kuroko's waist and he leaned forward to whisper in his ear,

"You can't leave; you know that don't you? The sword that I carry is bound to you and if I cut you, you'll be bound to me, right? I'm pretty sure you know all of this, which is why you just risked your life to try and kill me, knowing that it'll kill you as well."

The blue haired boy panicked and struggled against Akashi, who laughed slightly and continued to talk, "If my sword shatters, you die. That's why you kept it hidden with you grandfather in the mountains and that's why I killed your grandfather for this sword. He told me everything about you. I know that your name is Kuroko Tetsuya and that if you're cut with the demon sword, you won't be able to part from the person who cut you."

Akashi drew his sword and slowly moved the blade down Kuroko's body. The blue haired boy stayed still so that he didn't accidentally cut himself.

"Please…don't do this." Kuroko whimpered.

The redhead placed the blade on Kuroko's arm and said, "So, Kuroko Tetsuya, aren't you a bit curious about who I am?"

"A monster captain of the Generation of Miracles."

"I'm Akashi Seijuro and you…" The redhead lightly cut Kuroko's skin so that his blood seeped out slowly, "are now mine."

The blue haired boy watched as his blood collected into a small stream before trickling down his arm. Akashi lifted the blue haired boy's arm and licked away the blood.

Kuroko was unable to harm the redhead in any way, or it would cause him incredible pain and Akashi was unable to harm the magician for the same reason. They were also supposed to stay side by side for as long as possible at all times. Akashi stood up with the blue haired boy in his arms and brought him over to the bed. Kuroko was still petrified with the fact that he had been bound to the redhead and watched as the captain wrapped a piece of cloth around the small cut that he had made with the demon sword.

After a while, Akashi showed the blue haired boy around the ship. Kuroko commented "This is shit. That is shit" to everything the redhead showed him.

"This is Kise Ryouta, the guy you pummeled into the wall. He's also a magician." Akashi said while gesturing to the blonde.

"He's shit." Kuroko muttered.

"I know." The redhead replied, "But he's my shit."

Kise was left to cry in the corner while Akashi and the blue haired boy continued their tour. When the blue haired boy was done offending every member of the crew, Akashi brought him back to the captain's headquarters. Kuroko sat around comfortable and said,

"Making me yours was a mistake."

"How so?" The captain asked.

"You can't hurt me and you still can't force me to use my magic. I can't hurt you, but there's no need to since you won't hurt me." Kuroko said.

Akashi raised his eyebrows and said, "That's true. But you'll use your magic eventually because if this ship sinks, you'll be sinking with it."

"Not really. I can breathe underwater." The blue haired boy stated.

Akashi seemed amused, "Is there anything you can't do?"

"I can't use a sword, as you've seen before. I can't touch my nose with my tongue…uh…I can't feel certain emotions." Kuroko said to the captain.

"Which emotions?" The redhead asked while leaning towards Kuroko. The blue haired boy shuffled away awkwardly and said,

"It's not that I can't feel them. It's just if I do, things happen."

"You're going to have to elaborate more than that, Tetsuya. I have to be able to avoid some things, remember; if I'm hurt, you're hurt." Akashi said.

The blue haired boy knew that the captain was right, but he didn't want to tell Akashi about himself. Either way, they were bound together so it was normal to warn him about things,

"Sadness will make me use magic that wrecks environments; so I used waves at my village, except you tackled me before I was able to crush you and your shit ship. Anger will make me use dark magic, or it'll fuel sadness; I'll most likely make people explode or suck the life out of them. Those two emotions are the most dangerous. Frustration and fear is also dangerous; it makes things cave in or collapse."

Akashi nodded and then asked, "What about good things? Emotions that trigger good magic?"

"A tremendous amount of happiness will make the weather nice; so I can ensure happy sailing. My grandfather told me that if I fall in love, random thing happen. I'm not sure about that one since it never happened before, but it's neither good nor bad magic." Kuroko admitted with a small blush dusting his cheeks. The blue haired boy felt naked under Akashi's gaze. The captain knew everything about him, yet Kuroko still didn't know anything other than his name.

At night, Akashi slept on the ground while the blue haired boy slept on the bed. While staring at the wooden ceiling of the room, Kuroko talked without expecting an answer,

"When I was small, my parents told me that pirates were amazing fighters of the sea and that I should always respect them. As I grew up, I didn't see that pirates were amazing, I thought of them as thieves. Especially since pirates invaded my first village and killed my parents. I moved to my grandfather's village and I was called a monster for having so much magic in my blood. People threw stones at me and they stayed away from me. My grandfather taught me how to control my magic and my emotions and then Kagami came for me."

"That knight of yours?" Akashi asked in the darkness.

"Yes. He said that his village needed help, so I followed him and his myself as a girl. I became the princess of the village and protected it ever since I was ten years old. Eight years later and you capture me. The pirates whom I should respect took my away. It's like being betrayed, don't you think?"

Akashi stayed silent and heard the blue haired boy crying. The redhead peeked over the bed and heard Kuroko mumble, "For years I wished to die. Can you do that for me? Kill me. Please…I'm scared of my own powers. I lose control and I can destroy everything. Please…kill me…"

Akashi got up and pulled the blankets over the blue haired boy's trembling, fragile body. The wooden boards creaked as the room looked like it was going to cave in; the redhead held Kuroko close and said, "Don't be scared of yourself. You've learned to control it. I'm not going to kill you."

The magician cried softly and tried to calm down before his magic was unleashed. Kuroko felt his fingertips tingling to use magic, "Get away from me. I might hurt you."

Akashi shook his head and held onto the blue haired boy more tightly, "It's alright. You can control it."

"Leave…I beg you. Don't make me hurt you." Kuroko whispered, but he found himself clinging to the redhead's shirt for he fears being alone.

Akashi smiled gently and calmed the blue haired boy so that he didn't feel scared or sad anymore. When Kuroko was calm again, he continued to hold onto the redhead and then fell asleep. The skies cleared and the waters became still that night and everyone on the ship knew that it had something to do with Kuroko. Akashi fell asleep while holding onto the blue haired boy.

The next day, the blue haired boy woke up before Akashi and he was blushing at the feeling of the redhead's arms wrapped around him. Akashi felt Kuroko moving around so he woke up and mumbled, "Good morning."

"Let go of me and forget what happened last night." The blue haired boy said as sternly as possible, but Akashi simply smiled and teased Kuroko,

"What exactly happened last night?" The redhead asked.

Kuroko averted his eyes to the side and mumbled, "I…uh, cried and then held onto you. Please, forget that I did that."

Akashi wrapped his arms around the blue haired boy and asked, "What if I don't want to forget?"

Kuroko's face flamed with blush and he struggled against the redhead again.

"I'll make you forget." He said.

Akashi had the same amused expression as always and said, "Just try then. I got your arms pinned, so you'll use your voice, right?"

The blue haired boy felt irritated that Akashi knew everything and that he observed every detail. Their eyes locked and Kuroko opened his mouth to say, "Forget me and set me free."

But before he said anything, Kuroko felt the redhead's lips on his again. The blue haired boy hated the feeling. What should have felt evil and cold actually felt warm and gentle. Kuroko knew that it was just a method to make sure he didn't talk and he knew that the kiss didn't mean anything to Akashi, but the blue haired boy couldn't help but blush and want to kiss back. The redhead's tongue searched every crevice of Kuroko's mouth and when the magician opened his eyes, he saw those crimson ones staring straight at him.

Akashi had kissed the blue haired boy to make sure he didn't use magic, but the redhead couldn't find the will to stop. The captain rolled over on the bed so that he was on top of Kuroko and continued to kiss him. The blue haired boy did his best not to move or kiss back and he even tried to bite Akashi's tongue. But when the redhead's hot hands moved up and down Kuroko's bare body, the blue haired boy gasped and arched towards Akashi.

The captain smiled as he licked, nipped and kissed down Kuroko's neck. The blue haired boy felt frustrated.

_I shouldn't feel like this. I have to push him away. Do something!_ He thought desperately, as he scratched at Akashi's back from the immense amount of pleasure.

Kuroko felt as if his own body was betraying him and he finally yelled, "Stop!"

The redhead froze in place and Kuroko quickly ran out of the room. The magic wore off fast since the blue haired boy was still exhausted and Akashi went to chase after the magician.

Kuroko ran into a random room and tried his best not to cry. He felt so helpless when Akashi was holding him and it was as if the redhead had sucked all the powers out of him. The blue haired boy looked up to see Kise and Aomine staring at him.

"Oh! Aren't you the guy who destroyed Kise and then called him shit?!" Aomine asked with a smile.

The blonde frowned but then smiled, "What brings you here, Kurokocchi?"

"I need help. Please, I have to hide before **he** finds me." The blue haired boy said as he crawled under the bed.

Aomine laughed and said, "Well alrighty then. Hide here if you want, but Akashi is willing to destroy this ship to find you."

At that moment, the door swung open and Akashi walked in; he ignored Aomine and Kise and said, "Tetsuya, I'm sorry. I should've respected your personal space. I'm sorry that I made you feel helpless. I'm sorry that I teased you. I'm sorry that you feel the way you do now. So just come out from under that bed."

_God damn it! Why does he know everything?!_ Kuroko thought as he shyly crawled out from under the bed. Akashi smiled and pat the blue haired boy's head,

"Let's get something to eat, okay?"

Kuroko nodded and then followed the redhead out of the room.

As the days passed, the blue haired boy grew comfortable with the people around him. He stuck to Akashi since they were bound through blood and helped him as much as possible to ensure his safety. However, no matter how much time passed on the ship, Kuroko never got used to how cold it was and he never used his magic for anyone. When the blue haired boy was shivering even though he was wrapped in blankets and wearing the redhead's warm clothes, Akashi would crawl under the covers and hold him close to make him warmer. Instead of flinching away, he moved closer and welcomed the warmth. Ever since they started sleeping together, strange things happened around the ship. The weather became nice for them to sail every day, Kise sometimes tripped over air, Aomine would find random gold coins on the ground, Midorima had less work to do, Murasakibara got more food to eat and Akashi had good luck every day.

The crew knew that it was all because of Kuroko and Akashi figured that the blue haired boy was in love. Kuroko, however, was completely unaware that he was smitten with Akashi and he kept mistaking his love with hate.

Kuroko started to let the redhead touch him; so when they were sleeping, Akashi lightly pat the blue haired boy's head and stroked his cheek before kissing him and the blue haired boy didn't feel sickened by the actions.

Kuroko felt scared that he was warming up to the captain, but he felt so comfortable that it was as if Akashi made him feel safe and that there was no need to be scared.

"Goodnight, Tetsuya." The redhead mumbled while patting Kuroko's head. The blue haired boy nuzzled his face into Akashi's chest,

"Goodnight…Akashi-kun."

Akashi stopped his actions, "Did you just say my name?" He asked.

The blue haired boy blushed, suddenly aware that the name had slipped out, "No, you're imagining it."

"Say it again. You've never said my name before."

Kuroko hesitated and then mumbled, "Akashi-kun."

"Again." The redhead whispered in a deep voice.

"Akashi-kun."

The captain smiled, "Again, Tetsuya."

"A-akashi-kun…" Kuroko said.

The redhead hugged the magician and then said, "I love you."

Kuroko's eyes widened and he pulled away from the captain, "I…I hate you."

"Oh come on, admit it, you love me too."

"You flatter yourself. I hate you! I'll always hate you!" Kuroko yelled as he moved away from the redhead. Akashi caught the blue haired boy before he fell of the bed and kissed him hard. Kuroko's muscles relaxed and his expression softened when he felt those familiar lips on his. When the redhead pulled away, he looked at the magician with a serious expression and said,

"If this isn't love then what is it? You're comfortable around me. You let me touch you. There are random things occurring on this ship every day. We kiss and we sleep beside each other. You're in love with me, Tetsuya."

Kuroko shook his head and refused to believe he was in love, "We were bound by that stupid sword! I have to be near you."

"But we don't have to kiss, touch or even talk." The redhead shot back to make Kuroko give in.

When the blue haired boy shook his head again, Akashi sighed and then asked, "How about we test this out then?"

"Eh?" Kuroko said in complete confusion and then the redhead kissed him again. The blue haired boy found himself accepting Akashi's actions and he thought to himself,

_Am I actually in love? In love with the person who destroyed my city?_

When Kuroko felt the redhead peel off his clothes, the blue haired boy became nervous, used his magic to make Akashi stop and then ran off to Aomine and Kise's room. The blonde and the tanned boy comforted Kuroko until Akashi came for him.

The second time the redhead attempted to 'test their relationship out' (aka, have sex), Kuroko wouldn't let Akashi take off his clothes and he would just continuously force him to stop with magic and run off.

The third time Akashi attempted to have sex with Kuroko, the blue haired boy cried when his clothes were taken off so the redhead couldn't go any further.

After seven failures, the blue haired boy finally let Akashi take him. When Kuroko was a gasping and moaning mess, the redhead asked,

"How do you feel about me, Tetsuya?"

"I-I don't know…" The blue haired boy gasped as he pulled Akashi closer.

"You know the answer. Do you hate me or do you love me?"

"Ah…You're cruel, Akashi-kun." Kuroko muttered as he tried to find his release. The redhead chuckled as he watched Kuroko struggle. Akashi stopped all his ministrations and sucked at the blue haired boy's neck.

"Love or hate, Tetsuya? You have to tell me before I do anything." The redhead said in a raspy voice.

Kuroko groaned, then took a deep breath and whispered, "L-love…I love you, Akashi-kun. I love you."

The redhead smiled and kissed Kuroko. The blue haired boy gasped as his memories returned and Akashi also felt his memories returning. They lay there in silence and then Kuroko mumbled,

"That was still cruel, Seijuro. How could you just kidnap me for my powers?"

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't choose this life and neither did you. In the end, fate brought us together again."

Akashi threw a blanket over their naked bodies and felt the blue haired boy shuffle closer to stick to the redhead.

The next morning, the crew was able to see the change between Akashi and Kuroko's relationship. The redhead and the magician marks their seventeenth tattoo on their backs with the demon sword and Kuroko started helping around the ship with his magic.

"Hey, Seijuro…do you think Aomine-kun and Kise-kun are also having their one hundred years together?" The blue haired boy asked once day.

Akashi shrugged, "They might be. Every time we encounter them, they're in a relationship. We shouldn't meddle in their business though, we might accidentally mess around with fate."

Years passed and Kuroko made the Generation of Miracles the strongest ship and crew out in the sea. However, the stronger they were, the more people came after them to try to kill or capture Kuroko. Akashi did his best to protect his loved one, but eventually the redhead was defeated by another pirate.

Kuroko sat by the redhead's side and cried so much that the pirates stopped fighting to watch what was happening. The blue haired boy saw the demon sword shatter in Akashi's hand and then they both started to fade away into flower petals. Kuroko held onto the redhead as their bodies disappeared and the flower petals scattered into the sea.

Their story became a legend and every pirate was able to hear Kuroko's cries in the cold ocean wind where the great captain Akashi and the most powerful magician Kuroko died.

**Author's Note:**

**Magic is definitely too hard to describe. :3**

**I hope you liked this one. Personally, chapters 18, 20, 21 and 22 are my favourite so far, but those will come out later. Hehehe**

**See you guys in the next one.**


	18. Life 18

Akashi and Kuroko fell in love in their high school years. They both met in science class and were paired up to be partners. The blue haired boy had always thought of Akashi as someone scary, but when they talked, it was as if fate had brought them together.

Whenever the redhead was around, Kuroko couldn't see anyone else but him. He admired Akashi and respected him. They paired up for every science lab after that and even had other classes together.

Akashi never really had an opinion on the blue haired boy since they had never talked. He knew that Kuroko was shy at time, but he also knew that the blue haired boy was incredibly stubborn from their first science lab together.

They never agreed on anything and were often arguing about what to do next, but they would come up with a solution every time. Their friends would call their arguments a 'lover's quarrel' and most teachers couldn't tell whether they were friends or enemies.

Akashi saw the blue haired boy as someone undeniable adorable and even if they didn't agree on most things, the redhead loved and acknowledged every thought or idea Kuroko had.

A few months later, they started dating without anyone knowing. Kuroko didn't like the whole 'we have to keep this a secret' situation, but he followed the redhead knowing that eventually they would be able to tell others about their relationship.

The first person who figured out was Midorima; which was to be expected since he was very observant of others. He didn't say anything about it, instead he said, "You should just both come out. It'll be easier on you two, people are more accepting these days. Do you parents know?"

Akashi and Kuroko were both horrified when it came to telling their parents about their relationship. They were terrified that their parents would overreact and maybe even disown them

After a while, they showed public affection, but they still kept their relationship from their parents. Everywhere they went, they would hold hands and nuzzle and most people were jealous of their relationship.

Kuroko was crying the first time they had kissed. He had been insecure and he felt as if Akashi would drift from him and find someone else. The redhead assured Kuroko that he wasn't going anywhere and to make the blue haired boy stop crying, Akashi lightly planted a kiss on Kuroko's lips. The blue haired boy was so surprised that all he was able to do was hold onto Akashi's sleeves and stare wide eyed at the redhead's composed expression. When Akashi pulled away, Kuroko had stopped crying and he fell into the redhead's embrace and heard Akashi whisper,

"I'm not going to leave you. I love you, Tetsuya and only you. So stop thinking that I'll just leave. I'm never going to leave you."

The blue haired boy nodded and then walked home with Akashi.

Kuroko's parents suspected that Akashi and the blue haired boy were dating, since the redhead was always walking Kuroko home and they seemed a lot closer than Kuroko's other friends. The blue haired boy's parents waited until Kuroko wanted to tell them and they understood why their son wouldn't want to tell them in the first place.

After a year, Kuroko and Akashi decided to tell their parents. The blue haired boy invited Akashi to dinner and the couple told Kuroko's parents together while holding hands. They were both nervous, but Kuroko's parents were quick to accept the relationship and the blue haired boy's father even laughed and slapped Akashi on the back and called him his son in law.

"Treat him well, dear." Kuroko's mother had said to the redhead and Akashi nodded,

"I promise you, I will keep him out of harm's way."

The blue haired boy's mother smiled and they ate dinner together without any problems.

However, when Kuroko went over to the redhead's house and they told his parents about their relationship, they weren't happy. Akashi's father was a rich and important man; he was the CEO of a company and Akashi was his heir. Kuroko felt uncomfortable at the dinner table and the redhead's father even stood up and left.

"I'm so sorry, Tetsuya." Akashi said, "I didn't know my family was this rude to a guest." The redhead said while glaring at his mother who seemed to be feeling guilty and she stared at Kuroko from across the table.

"I'm sorry, Kuroko…" His mother said, "I'm sorry that I was rude to you when you told me about your relationship with my son. I also deeply apologize for my husband. It's just that…Seijuro is the heir to the company and he doesn't like his son being in a relationship with another guy."

The blue haired boy tried to stay calm and he gently smiled and nodded, "I understand. This would be a shocking matter. I'm sorry if this was really sudden."

"No, no! You shouldn't apologize. It's our fault that we've failed to treat you well."

When Akashi was walking the blue haired boy home, Kuroko cried all the way. "Akashi-kun, what's going to happen to you now? What if your father doesn't accept you anymore?" The blue haired boy said in between sobs. The redhead sighed and held Kuroko in his embrace,

"It's alright. My father wouldn't throw out his heir no matter what. He needs me to keep his company alive."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. So don't worry, let's just get you home, alright?"

Kuroko nodded and intertwined his fingers with Akashi's. The redhead's warmth surged through him from their fingertips and before Akashi sent the blue haired boy inside, he lightly planted a kiss on his forehead and said, "Goodnight."

During science class the following day, Kuroko was called down to the office. The blue haired boy saw Akashi's father standing there and he said, "Please understand Kuroko…My son is important. He is to take my place in my company. I cannot have him distracted with things like love. Break up with him. It's for the best. It'll be good for you to straighten up and for Seijuro as well. Can you do this for me? Well, if you don't, I can always just move Seijuro away and he will never see you again."

"You wouldn't do that." Kuroko muttered.

Akashi's father smiled, "Of course I would. I would do anything to save my company and my son."

The blue haired boy swallowed thickly, "I can't do this…you're hurting us."

"Oh please," Akashi's father laughed, "Your relationship is nothing. Seijuro is going to throw you away when he's done with you. Relationships like this won't last."

"You mean gay relationships?" Kuroko asked with his voice filled with anger.

"Yes. You can't get married and you'll always be shunned and looked down upon. You can't have children, you won't have a family. Do you really think Seijuro will be happy with that?"

Tears stung the blue haired boy's eyes and he looked at the ground as Akashi's father continued, "Break up with him within three days. If I don't heard back from you, then Seijuro's gone."

Kuroko stood still as Akashi's father walked away and when the blue haired boy went back to science class, he wiped away his tears and sat beside Akashi again.

The blue haired boy did his best to act normal.

"Where'd you go, Tetsuya?" The redhead asked with a smile, "You missed a boring lecture."

"Oh…uh…I went to the office and they just told me some stuff." Kuroko mumbled.

Akashi immediately noticed something off about his boyfriend and he lightly held his hand and asked, "What's wrong?"

The blue haired boy tried to give a reassuring smile as he said, "I'm fine. I just feel a bit tired."

When Akashi walked the blue haired boy back home, Kuroko seemed distant and he stared up at the sky. The redhead held Kuroko's hand tightly, but the blue haired boy barely held on.

Akashi lightly planted a kiss on the blue haired boy's forehead and said, "Goodnight." Before leaving.

Kuroko stared at his ceiling for the whole night and thought hard about what to do. He knew that he shouldn't let Akashi's father control him, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing Akashi. The blue haired boy whispered Akashi's name to himself and cried; he started to remember every moment they had together. Though they had only been dating for a year and a few months, there were too many memories that Kuroko didn't want to let go of. The blue haired boy wanted to hold on, but he knew that Akashi's father wasn't lying when he had said he would move Akashi away.

The next morning, Kuroko's eyes were swollen and red. They stung from crying and from the lack of sleep. When he got to school, Akashi was patiently waiting for him at the entrance. The redhead walked towards Kuroko and noticed the blue haired boy's swollen eyes. Akashi pulled him into a hug and whispered, "Tetsuya, you know I'm here for you right?"

"I know…" The blue haired boy said while holding onto Akashi tightly.

"So tell me what's wrong. Please…your eyes are red from crying." Akashi pleaded, worrying about the blue haired boy's health.

Kuroko took a deep breath and let go of the redhead. The blue haired boy stared at Akashi's face and said, "I want to break up."

The redhead seemed surprised with this and he asked, "What brought this up? Can I know the reason?"

Kuroko felt tears streaming down his face, "I just need…a break." He said, his voice cracking slightly.

Akashi brushed away the blue haired boy's tears and said, "Tetsuya, I can't accept this break up if you're crying like this. It's almost as if you don't want to break up but you're doing it anyway."

"Please Akashi-kun…Let go of me and find someone better." Kuroko said before running off.

The redhead called out to Kuroko but the blue haired boy was gone. Akashi tried to talk to Kuroko for the whole day, but the blue haired boy avoided Akashi very well.

Kuroko ran home so that the redhead couldn't catch up to him. When he got home, his mother asked, "How was school?"

The blue haired boy ignored his mother and went straight up to his room. Kuroko locked his bedroom door and fell onto his bed. He refused to eat anything and just continued to cry until he fell asleep.

The next day, Kuroko told Akashi's father that they had broken up before he went to school.

The blue haired boy stayed away from Akashi but Kuroko found himself still staring at the redhead with love. Akashi tried to find out what had happened to the blue haired boy and didn't really pay attention to anyone or anything else.

Kuroko stayed with Aomine and Kise during lunch and cried instead of eating.

"Tetsu, you have to tell us why you're crying." The tanned boy said while gently rubbing Kuroko's back in an attempt to comfort him.

The blonde stared at the blue haired boy's lunch and quickly ate the egg rolls, "Kurokocchi, I got rid of the egg rolls for you."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Aomine asked.

"Akashicchi loves egg rolls, right? They just broke up; I figured the egg rolls were bothering Kurokocchi." Kise explained.

The tanned boy helped Kise eat the egg rolls and then asked, "Didn't **you** break up with him? Why are you crying?"

Kuroko sniffled and then told them everything. Aomine and Kise were completely baffled that Akashi's father had said that to the blue haired boy and had pretty much forced them to break up. The tanned boy was infuriated, "We should tell Akashi!"

"No! Please, no…I don't want him to be sent away." Kuroko wailed.

Kise sighed, "Okay, we won't say anything for now. But, you have to take care of yourself. Eat a bit."

The blue haired boy shook his head as his blonde friend tried to shove some rice into his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Kise-kun, but I'm just not hungry." Kuroko said while standing up. When he walked through the halls, the blue haired boy wiped his eyes and went to class. Akashi stared at Kuroko with a concerned expression and then went to talk to Aomine and Kise to see if they knew anything.

When the blue haired boy got home, his mother tried to talk to him but Kuroko just locked himself in the bedroom again. He called in sick the next day at school and just tried to recover at home.

A few days passed and Akashi fell into a routine without Kuroko, though he still couldn't forget the blue haired boy. When the blue haired boy didn't show up at school for the past few days, Akashi became worried.

"Akashicchi, you're an idiot, aren't you?" Kise whispered to him in english class.

"Me? Why?" The redhead asked.

Aomine whispered from behind Akashi, "Tetsu is suffering by himself and you're going back into a normal routine without him."

"Am I not suffering as well?" Akashi asked, "He broke up with me."

"Think a little. When did he start acting weird?' The blonde asked.

"After he met…my parents."

"Doesn't the timing seem a bit more than a coincidence? You said your father would do anything to keep his heir. What if he…I don't know, maybe said something to Kurokocchi and made him break up with you? Just a though." Kise said.

The teacher couldn't take the blonde's whispered, so Kise was moved to another desk. Akashi thought hard about what his friend had said and then heard Aomine whisper, "It's been four days, Akashi. Four days since Tetsu stopped coming to school what do you think he's been doing these past four days? I went to visit him with Kise two days ago and he was crying in his room with the door locked. I'm sure he's still locked up in there; probably ran out of tears though."

After his friends told him that, Akashi couldn't sit still for the rest of the day. When he was standing, he was pacing back and forth and when he was sitting, he was biting his nails or shaking his leg. The redhead couldn't stop worrying about Kuroko and when the bell rang, he stormed out of the school and called his mother,

"Mom! I'm going to be at Tetsuya's house and I'm not going to be back until tomorrow after school."

"Ah, Sei-chan, what's going on?" His mother asked, but Akashi hung up and ran to Kuroko's house.

The redhead rang the doorbell and Kuroko's mother opened it. When she saw Akashi, she frowned slightly, "Akashi-kun…What are you doing here? What have you done to my baby? You promised you would keep him out of harm's way."

"Please let me see Tetsuya." The redhead begged.

"I don't think I can allow that. He's hurt badly and he won't stop thinking about you."

Akashi got down on his knees and bowed so that his forehead was touching the ground. The redhead said, "I didn't know what had happened. Tetsuya broke up with me and I didn't know why, but I figured out that my father had something to do with it and had forced Tetsuya to break up with me. I didn't know because Tetsuya never told me and I didn't see that he was suffering because of it. I came here to make things right and sort it out with him and tell him not to be afraid. I want to help him, so please, let me see him!"

Kuroko's mother sighed and then let the redhead into the house. As they walked upstairs to Kuroko's room, his mother said, "He hasn't left his room for four days. He eats when we're all sleeping and only eats comfort foods; so pasta and vanilla shakes. I only hear him cry or scream from nightmares. He opened the door for Aomine-kun and Kise-kun, but that was two days ago and now he doesn't accept any visitors. The door is locked so no one can go in. I even had a doctor check him and they said his health was fine and that he would probably get over it, except I don't think that'll happen."

"House locks are simple. Tetsuya taught me this once. Do you have a large paperclip?" Akashi asked.

When Kuroko's mother came back with the paperclip, the redhead unfolded it from its original shape and shoved it into the lock.

"Locks inside houses don't have five pins like the stand lock, which would be your front door lock. This lock only has one pin and you just have to push a paperclip to the end and then twist the doorknob…" Akashi swung the door open and said, "Then the door will open."

Kuroko was hidden under his covers and when he heard the door open, the blue haired boy hissed, "Don't come in."

"Dear…Akashi-kun is here to see you." Kuroko's mother said.

The blue haired boy flinched and turned to see Akashi standing at his door, "He can come in. Close the door behind you."

Akashi stepped inside and closed the door.

The room was dark but clean despite the amount of days Kuroko was locked in it. The blue haired boy sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes. Kuroko reached for the redhead and asked, "Are you actually here right now? I'm not…hallucinating from drinking too many vanilla shakes?"

"I'm really here and I figured out what happened between you and my dad." Akashi said, "They know I'm here with you now."

"Why would you tell them that? Your father is going to send you away! You just threw away everything I did for you to stay here!" The blue haired boy yelled and threw pillows at Akashi.

The redhead moved closer and said, "It's alright. Don't be afraid. I'm fine, my father can't move me. My mother wouldn't allow that; she hates it when I'm far away. Don't let my father control you or me."

Kuroko felt tears stream down his face, even though he thought he didn't have any more tears to shed. Akashi opened his arms for Kuroko and soothed the blue haired boy, "It's okay, Tetsuya. You can be with me again, we don't have to hide anything. We aren't doing anything wrong. Come here…"

Kuroko moved out from under the covers and wrapped his arms around Akashi tightly. The redhead showered Kuroko with kisses and whispered 'I love you' over and over again to him. Kuroko balled his eyes out and said,

"I'm so sorry, Akashi-kun. I won't do that again. I'm sorry for hurting you and I'm sorry for leaving you."

The redhead chuckled, "Learn to be a bit more selfish. You want to keep me, right? So hang on to me no matter what happen."

Kuroko nodded and tightened his grip on Akashi's shirt.

"Go to sleep. You need your rest if you're going to go to school tomorrow. I can't take notes for you forever."

Eventually, the blue haired boy fell asleep and Akashi stayed by his side to comfort him. Kuroko's mother entered the room after a while and the redhead whispered, "He's asleep."

The blue haired boy's mother smiled and felt relieved, then she said, "Your mother called and asked if you were here and she said that you can stay if you need to. I would feel a lot better if you would stay by his side tonight."

Akashi nodded and then made himself comfortable. The redhead buried his face in Kuroko's hair and inhaled the scent he had missed for four days.

The next day, Kuroko and Akashi walked to school together and wouldn't let go of each other's hands. The blue haired boy caught up on all his work and during lunch, he sat in Akashi's lap to try and stay as close as possible to the redhead.

Aomine watched as Akashi fed the blue haired boy and said, "You two couldn't stay away from each other for more than four days…"

"Four days is long enough." Kuroko muttered as he leaned back into Akashi's chest.

The blue haired boy went to Akashi's house after school and faced his father. The redhead nudged his boyfriend to speak up and Kuroko said,

"I came here to say that I'm not going to leave Akashi-kun because of your company. There's nothing wrong with an heir who is gay. There's nothing wrong with our relationship either. If Akashi-kun isn't happy because we can't have children then he's going to have to settle with a dog. You were wrong when you said we can't have a family. Akashi-kun and I are family; just being together makes us a family. Our relationship isn't nothing; each relationship in the world is precious and each relationship deserves a chance. Being shunned or looked down upon is fine with me because I'm happy with who I am and I'm happy with Akashi-kun. That should be what matters most."

The blue haired boy grabbed Akashi's hand, squeezed it tightly and continued, "I'm going to make this relationship last and I'll show you that we're going to make it. I'm going to marry Akashi-kun even if I have to steal him away from you. He's mine and if you keep trying to pull him away from me then I'll always find a way to bring him back."

Akashi's father sighed and said, "I admire your bravery, boy. I will let this slide; I'm too old to fight with a child."

When Akashi and Kuroko moved into the same apartment, they saw their tattoos for the first time and their memories were triggered. They went to get their tattoos after Akashi teased the blue haired boy,

"You've been crying a lot within the past few lifetimes." The redhead said with a playful smile.

Kuroko pouted, "I'll make you cry in the next one or the one after."

The blue haired boy and Akashi got married and lived happily. The redhead's father accepted their marriage and gave them his blessing. Kuroko and Akashi's father became good friends and they both spent a lot of time together.

After many years, Akashi passed away and then six years later, Kuroko passed away as well.


End file.
